


The Quaterback's care

by rokeat



Series: The Quarterback [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 03:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4248378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rokeat/pseuds/rokeat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SEQUEL TO "THE QUATERBACK'S JACKET". After Blaine's near fatal accident, Sam can't bring himself to separate from his new boyfriend even for a second. 'Cause who can take care of Blaine better than him, anyway?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Quaterback's care

**Author's Note:**

> This is something that Zirconious.theta asked me to write, "an extended scene when Blaine came home from the hospital, with Sam taking care of him". So yes, that's exactly what this is! I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> I got a bit carried away, so it's pretty long! And stupidly cloying and fluffy! Be warned!

Sam smiled as he noticed Blaine’s regular and soft breathing that told him that he had finally fallen asleep again. That didn’t stop him from continuing his loving rubbing on Blaine’s tummy, as it apparently helped the shorter boy calm down and feel more comfortable. After all, Sam had had enough sleepovers to know Blaine found it very difficult to fall asleep while on his back, and that he would always curl around himself like a little child –something which Sam had always found adorable–. Add that to the fact that he was probably in some pain in spite of the painkillers and that he couldn’t move because of the surgical collar, and Sam could see he had to be pretty uncomfortable. So if Sam could make it just a little bit better just by being at his side, caressing him and offering fluttering kisses to his cheek every now and then, he would gladly do it. He was now his boyfriend, right? He was supposed to take care of him. Not that they hadn’t been doing that until then as the best friends that they were but… it made even more sense now. And after the fear of losing him he had experienced so deeply just a few hours ago, Sam feared he might never stop worrying about his beautiful new boyfriend ever again.

He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard a soft knock on the door. He considered jumping from the bed before whoever it was entered the room –he was lying next to the injured guy with his arms around him, it was quite a compromising position after all–, but he was afraid the sudden movement could hurt Blaine, so in the end he knew he had to stay put and plead that whoever that was wouldn’t be too judgmental.

“Sam?” Mr. Schuester whispered as his head poked round the door.

“Hey, Mr. Schue” Sam answered, lifting his head from the bed and hoping he was not blushing too much.

“No, stay there” William immediately stopped him with a gesture as he entered the room, attentive as ever. “I don’t want you to disturb him”

“It’s just… He was kind of shaken and… I was too, so…” Sam tried to justify his presence on the bed, but apparently his teacher didn’t need it.

“Sam, come on, you don’t have to explain” he understandingly answered, even managing a smile for their favorite students. “I’m glad you two figured out whatever was happening between you. I just came to see how he was and to ask you if you wanted to go home. I could stay with him and relieve you”

“No, thanks, Mr. Schue, but… I would rather stay” Sam unsurprisingly objected.

“I will take care of him” Will promised, even if he knew he was not going to convince the younger man.

“I know but… I need to stay. For both of us” Sam explained, knowing his teacher would understand how much he needed to be close to the injured boy.

“Ok, then” Will immediately relented, as he probably had been expecting it. “I’ll come by again tomorrow to see how you both are”

“Thanks, Mr. Schue. Is everyone still outside?”

“Yes, but I’m sending them home right now too. I hope I can convince Tina, she was very keen on staying in the waiting room all night” Mr. Schue joked with a smile, although both of them knew it was probably true.

“Can you tell everyone that Blaine woke up for a bit and that he is doing better?” Sam said, turning to fondly look at the sleeping boy next to him, once again shivering at how close they had come to never see Blaine awake again. “That will make them feel better”

“Yes, of course, I’ll give them the good news before sending them home”

“Thanks for everything, Mr. Schue”

“Sam, you guys are… like my children” Mr. Schuester answered with a soft tone that left no room for argument about how much he felt about his two favorite students. “I’m just relieved Blaine is going to be alright”

“Well, thank you anyway” Sam answered, moved and incredibly grateful they could count on a teacher like that.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Tell Blaine I said _hi_ when he wakes up again” William replied, patting Sam’s shoulder and sending the couple a fond smile before walking to the door.

“I will” Sam promised to his teachers back as the latter exited the room.

As soon as he was alone with his sleeping boyfriend, Sam looked at him, with an impossibly tender smile on his face, and once again laid his head down on the pillow as close as he could to Blaine’s face, and strengthened his grip around his waist as much as he dared so he wouldn’t hurt him. It was time for Sam to try and get some sleep now, if he wanted to be fresh and strong to take care of Blaine the next day. So with a gentle kiss to the soft skin of Blaine’s cheek, Sam reminded him how much he loved him and closed his eyes to accompany him to the real of dreams.

**********

Even if he didn’t think he would be able, Sam finally managed to sleep a few of hours, despite the turmoil of emotions still inside of him and the fact he hardly had any space on the bed he was sharing with Blaine due to the inability of the latter to move to leave him some room. Of course Sam hadn’t moved at all either so he wouldn’t disturb the shorter boy, and a feeling of peace and delight slowly filled his chest as he felt Blaine’s body underneath the arm he still had around his middle and his cheek so close to Sam’s face. So close, that Sam only needed to stretch his neck a little to rest a kiss on the soft skin of the other boy’s cheek again, by then sprinkled with a five-o’clock shadow that, far from disgusting him, elicited an amused grin on Sam’s face –alright, he had never had a bearded partner to kiss before, but that didn’t feel strange at all, did it?–. Maybe it was just because it was Blaine, and with Blaine everything was easy and familiar and exciting, he didn’t know. What he knew, though, was that he didn’t regret taking that big step with his best friend because he was now sure he loved him like crazy. And even if he knew Blaine needed rest, he would give anything right then for him to wake up so he could tell him again how much he loved him so he would get one of those adorable blushes out from him and elicit a smile he knew Blaine didn’t give anyone else but him.

As if Blaine was reading his mind, it wasn’t much later when he started giving signs that he was trying to wake up. His breathing changed and he tried to move his head, only to find the movement restricted. Still more asleep than awake, he softly whimpered –and if it was from pain or fear at the inability to move, Sam didn’t know– and Sam rushed to caress his hair in an attempt of calming him down or even to keep him in that pain-free heaven that sleep provided for him. But Blaine was stubborn, and before Sam could do anything to stop it, he opened his eyes and tried to fix them on the face hovering over him.

“B?” Sam asked, desperately needing to hear his boyfriend’s voice so he could be sure he was still lucid and whole, as the last time they had talked.

“Is it morning already?” Blaine asked, closing his eyes again at the offending light coming through the windows.

“It is, although you haven’t slept that much really as we fell asleep pretty late” Sam whispered, trying not to disturb Blaine’s obvious headache, although that seemed to be the last thing on the brunet’s mind as a smile slowly grew in his lips.

“Morning” Blaine tenderly said, daring again to open his eyes so he could look at Sam’s beautiful face and make sure he was not dreaming.

“Morning to you too” Sam answered, equally loving, as he bent down to kiss Blaine’s forehead this time.

“I can’t believe you’re in bed with me” Blaine blurted out, his tone half mischievous, half unbelieving.

“That’s what boyfriends do, right?” Sam replied with an amused chuckle –Blaine was so adorable when he was excited.

“And I can’t believe you want to be my boyfriend”

“Well, why wouldn’t I, considering how much I love you?”

“It’s just that I can’t…”

“If you say you can’t believe I love you so help me” Sam jokingly threatened him, pointing a finger at his face for good measure.

“Sorry” Blaine apologized with an embarrassed smile as he took Sam’s finger in his hand to hold it. “I’m just too happy and excited about it to get it through my head”

“Well, do it because I’m not going anywhere” Sam promised, his voice full of tenderness for the shorter boy as he hovered more closely to him, teasingly breathing all over Blaine’s lips. “Let me just show you how much I love you” he added as he bent down and carefully covered Blaine’s lips with his own, just as he had done the night before, balancing his desire to get lost in the kiss with the need to be careful with Blaine’s injuries.

“Oh, wow” Blaine exclaimed, kind of breathlessly, once their lips separated. “I can’t believe you just kissed me”

“Really? Again?” Sam sarcastically asked, making Blaine blush as he realized he had done it again.

“Sorry! Please, don’t dump me yet!” Blaine replied with a chuckle, only half joking.

“I wouldn’t dream of it” Sam reassured him with a gentle graze of his knuckles down Blaine’s cheek. “So how are you feeling?”

“Ecstatic” Blaine answered with a wide grin before he was able to stop himself.

“No, I meant physically” Sam contradicted him with a hearty laugh at his boyfriend’s innocence.

“Like shit, now that I think about it” Blaine admitted, sighing in frustration at his current inability to change positions since the day before and the general pain he could feel all along his body.

“Does anything hurt?”

“Everything hurts”

“Oh my God, let me just get a nurse, can you hold on for a second, I’ll be as quick as I can and then…” Sam replied, obviously starting to get worked up with worry, so Blaine felt the need to stop him immediately.

“Sam!”

“What?”

“Yes, I’m in a bit of pain, but I’ll survive, you know” he tried to placate his boyfriend’s worry. “Please, don’t worry about me”

“Of course I worry about you, you had a very serious accident, you know?” Sam reminded him, making it obvious how shaken he still was about it all.

“Yeah, I know” Blaine answered, smiling understandingly at him.

“It was pretty scary. So let me worry as much as I want, it’s a boyfriend’s prerogative after all” Sam finally joked, not wanting to get too intense as he had done the night before.

“Ok. You’re just too sweet” Blaine answered, looking adoringly at the other boy until he made his heart melt.

“Oh, you want to talk” Sam answered before capturing Blaine’s lips again, more confidently that time, taking his time to enjoy the sensation until they were practically shaking with emotion. “Mmm, I think I might be getting addicted to this”

“Me too” Blaine answered with a shy smile, everything still too knew and incredible for him. “Though a little freedom of movement to enjoy it more deeply wouldn’t be that bad, you know”

“I’ll just get a nurse to tell them you’re awake now, ok?” Sam explained, completely unable to remove the soppy smile of his face as he looked at his boyfriend. “I’ll be right back”

“Alright” Blaine answered, looking at Sam with eyes full of devotion.

“Just one more kiss first” Sam said as he rushed to the bed again and gave Blaine’s lips a quick peck that elicited a hearty laugh on the curly-haired boy.

“Ok” he answered, laughing as he watched Sam walk decidedly to the door of the room and leave the room.

“Hey” Sam said, his head poking round the door again.

“What?” Blaine asked in surprise.

“I love you” Sam said with a smile that made Blaine’s knees weaken up to the point he knew he would have fallen to the floor if he wasn’t already lying down.

“I love you too” he answered, reciprocating the smile and laughing at the way Sam’s face lit up at his words.

**********

A nurse came almost immediately, bringing with him a doctor to check on the patient. After testing Blaine’s reflexes and reactions –both in his legs and arms and also in his eyes, in case the blow to his head had been harder than expected–, she happily announced that, even if he needed to keep still in bed for a few more days to be sure his affected vertebrae wouldn’t hurt his spine, he was going to be alright. Blaine couldn’t help but smile with affection as he saw Sam letting his breath out at the diagnosis –apparently he had been holding it throughout the examination–, and Sam shakily reciprocated the smile, shaking his head at himself and how much of a mother hen he was. But come on, after the fright of the previous day, no one could blame him for being a bit oversensitive about it, right?

The doctor also said that it was normal for him to be in quite a lot of pain after such a trauma, especially all along his chest and neck, so they would keep giving some painkillers for a few days, hopefully not too strong if he didn’t need them.

After the doctor’s visit –which let them more relieved that none of them would admit about how everything seemed to be going so well–, Sam didn’t return to the bed again, as it was morning already and he doubted the staff of the hospital would appreciate his presence on the bed of the patient –even if they had conveniently ignored it during the night, knowing how shaken both boys had been about the accident–. But he wasn’t ready to lose the contact yet, and neither was Blaine who hadn’t fallen asleep again and seemed to be alert enough, so he dragged a chair the closest he could to the bed and sat next to his boyfriend, tucking his hand safely between both of his before his rear had even made contact with the chair.

“You don’t seem too happy” Sam casually commented as he noticed the frown marring Blaine’s beautiful features. “The doctor said you were going to be okay, you know?”

“I know, and I’m relieved, but… I’m so tired of not being able to move! I’m very uncomfortable and it’s so frustrating!” Blaine complained, knowing he was whining but being unable to stop it.

“I know, B” Sam answered, always understanding, as he brought Blaine’s hand to his lips to he could kiss each and every one of his knuckles, trying to offer some kind of comfort. “But it will only be for a couple more days. You can do it, I believe in you”

“I know you do” Blaine answered with a blush and a tender smile, turning his neck as much as he could so he could look at his supporting boyfriend.

“Anything I can do to make it better?” Sam offered in his warmest tone.

“Just being here with me makes it all the better” Blaine answered, being completely honest, and his heart warmed at the sloppy smile it elicited on his boyfriend’s delicious lips.

“Then I won’t leave your side until you’re on your feet” Sam promised, and Blaine had no doubt he really meant it.

“Ok”

Sam was about to stand up just so he could taste the addicting flavor of Blaine’s lips again when the door to the room opened so forcefully that made them both jump out of their skins.

“Blaine!” Cooper practically yelled as he dramatically entered the room and rushed to the boy’s side. “How are you? Are you alright? Can you talk?”

“I’m fine, Cooper, relax” Blaine answered patiently, quite used to Cooper dramatic overreactions.

“Are you sure? Can you feel your legs? Move your toes for me, buddy, come on, you can do it” Cooper encouraged his little brother, looking intently at his sheet-covered legs waiting for some movement.

“I know I can do it, Cooper, see?” Blaine answered with a chuckle as he shook both his legs. “I haven’t broken anything, I just need to be careful with my movements for a couple of days because some vertebrae were a bit displaced with the blow so I don’t take any risks, but that’s all”

“Yes, so stop moving your legs like that, please” Sam intervened, the worrier side of him appearing again at what he considered a dangerous display from his boyfriend.

“Sammy, nothing is going to happen just because I move my…” Blaine tried to protest, though Sam didn’t want to hear of it.

“Please, B. For me” the blond pleaded, looking intently at the other until he made him sigh in surrender.

“Alright” Blaine relented, as he knew he would never be able to deny anything to his boyfriend if he gave him sad pleading eyes like those.

“What’s going on here?” Cooper asked out of the blue, apparently more calm, as he looked questioningly and alternately at the younger boys.

“What’s going on here?” Blaine repeated, frowning in confusion.

“Oh, just the _Sammy_ thing, the _for me_ plead, and the fact you’re holding hands just… it’s interesting, at the least” Cooper explained, looking quizzically at them as he noticed the blush starting to grow on their cheeks as they looked at their joined hands, which they had forgotten about until then. “So you’re that Sam he won’t stop babbling about whenever I call him, right?”

“I guess I am. Hi” Sam embarrassedly replied, though he made no move to let go of his boyfriend’s hand –he wasn’t going to let himself be intimidated by his brother-in-law, right? He would fight for Blaine if he needed it, as ridiculous and medieval as it might sound–. “We met at your seminar”

“Yeah, I remember you. And Blaine has talked so much about you that I feel as I’ve known you all my life” Cooper answered, not even trying to feign he was not trying to embarrass his little brother –after the fright he’d given him, he had brought it on himself–. “He just never mentioned you were his… hand-holding buddy”

“Coop, please…” Blaine pleaded, obviously mortified about his inappropriate brother.

“It’s ok, B, you can tell him, I’m okay with it” Sam immediately answered to appease him, even managing to smile at him so he would know he really meant it.

“Awww, aren’t you two adorable?” Cooper joked, apparently having the time of his life at the two younguns’ obvious discomfort.

“Well, if you must now, he’s my boyfriend now” Blaine was forced to admit, even if he felt a nice blushing growing on his cheeks again at the confession.

“Now? Since when?” Cooper pointedly asked.

“Since… twelve hours ago, give and take” Sam answered, all too honestly, as he looked at his watch.

“Oh, that’s… recent” Cooper answered, trying not to chuckle at how adorable those two were indeed.

“But we love each other very much” Sam hurried to add, as he wanted to get off with the right food with his in-laws if it was possible.

“Oh, I don’t have a doubt about it”

“I just… hadn’t realized it yet”

“Sammy, he doesn’t need to know all the details” Blaine intervened, not feeling the need of including his brother in the most intimate details of their relationship.

“Oh, sorry” Sam immediately apologized, looking down with embarrassment.

“Have you been taking care of my brother since the accident?” Cooper asked, all of a sudden realizing that, while waiting for his family to come, Sam had probably designated himself as Blaine’s guardian, if the protective hold he had in his hand and how close his chair was to the brunet’s bed gave any indications about it.

“Yes, sir” Sam answered, trying not to show how proud he was at himself because of the way he had been taking care of his boyfriend.

“And are your intentions with him good and honest?” Cooper continued.

“Cooper!” Blaine immediately admonished him, though Sam wasn’t letting himself be intimidated.

“They totally are” Sam answered, vigorously nodding his head.

“Ok, then I approve of this relationship”

“Cooper, we didn’t ask for your permission!” Blaine intervened, clearly indignant at his obnoxious brother and his lack of décor towards his new boyfriend –he knew Sam was a strong and confident person and could very well defend himself, but he was afraid Cooper was going to scare him away at that rate.

“Then how generous I am that I still gave it to you?” Cooper joked, marveling at how innocent his little brother was and how it was still so easy to pull his leg.

“Don’t you have anywhere to be?”

“Yes, here with my little brother and his new dreamy boyfriend”

“Oh God” Blaine groaned as he drew a hand over his face to hide behind it.

“Isn’t this one so much more handsome than the last one, by the way? What was his name? Curtis?”

“It was Kurt, and don’t pretend you don’t know it just because you didn’t like him”

“Thanks for accepting me then, though… I guess…” Sam intervened, because in spite of the third degree and all the non-sense, Cooper had said he approved of their relationship, right? Maybe he liked him for Blaine more than he did with Kurt?

“Don’t thank him!” Blaine reprimanded him, unbelieving.

“Sorry!” Sam apologized. “I got confused!”

“Come on, Squirt, you know I’m kidding!” Cooper finally decided to back down, as his brother was injured after all and he kind of deserved some sympathy. Plus he needed to get serious for a second; after all, Blaine’s accident had really shaken him too. “You know I joke as a self-defense mechanism. And I was really scared, you know? Your teacher called me to say they were taking you on an ambulance to the hospital because you had taken a huge blow and you weren’t reacting. Allow me a bit of humor to put my emotions in order”

“I’m sorry, Coop, I didn’t think about that” Blaine immediately apologized, finally realizing how Cooper was really feeling about his accident.

“Can I hug you?” Cooper asked, a tender expression replacing his mocking mask from a second ago, and Blaine was about to reply when Sam beat him to it.

“Not really, he shouldn’t be getting up at all” Sam warned him, understanding Cooper’s emotions too well but not wanting to risk Blaine’s physical integrity anyway.

“Wow, he is strict” Cooper joked, looking at his brother while pointing at Sam with his head.

“That he is” Blaine answered with a chuckle before looking tenderly at his blushing boyfriend.

“Do you think I could kiss his cheek and hold his hand or something like that?” Cooper asked the blond guy, moving to the other side of the bed so he could get closer to his brother without making Sam move. “I will take his other hand, don’t worry, I wouldn’t want to take that one from you”

“Yeah, I think that should be alright” Sam answered, still too conscious about himself, as the two brothers laughed wholeheartedly at his embarrassment.

**********

The day was spent pretty much in the same dynamic: both Sam and Cooper stayed at either side of Blaine’s bed –and the nurses pretended not to remember only one person was supposed to be there until the patient was released from ICU and moved to a normal room, which he was sometime along the afternoon as he was not in danger anymore–.

As soon as it was allowed to receive visits, Mr. Schuester made an apparition. He was delighted at how alert and high-spirited Blaine seemed to be –after all, William hadn’t been able to sleep that well either after the last image he had gotten from the injured boy–, and Blaine was very grateful for his visit. So was Cooper, who wouldn’t stop thanking him for contacting him as soon as everything happened. Mr. Schuester aldo informed Blaine that some of his friends from the Glee club were on the waiting room, if he was up to some visiting. But Blaine’s attitude changed completely at that, he suddenly claimed to be exhausted and in pain and in absolutely no state to so many and noisy visitors, and asked his teacher to tell them that he would let them know himself when they could visit.

William nodded and smiled in confirmation, apologizing for disturbing his rest when he was clearly still so battered, and left with the promise to keep updated through Sam or Cooper and inform the rest of the club. And even if Sam could see through his performance, and knew there was something else going on through Blaine’s mind than needing to rest, he didn’t say anything and let his boyfriend get away with whatever was bothering him –they could talk about it when they were alone.

That is, if Cooper allowed them to be alone any time! Not that Sam would resent him for it –he could totally understand, Blaine was his little brother after all–, but Cooper hadn’t moved from his side either since he arrived, and now that it was getting late, Sam had the strongest suspicion he was not going to be the one to stay for the night next to the injured boy.

“How are you going home, Sam?” Cooper asked, as if he had been reading his mind. “Do you have a car?”

“I… was not intending to go home yet” Sam answered, hesitantly, knowing he was not going to win that battle against Blaine’s brother.

“You need your rest too, you know” Cooper tried to convince him, trying not to smile at the obvious need of those two to be together and in direct physical contact all the time.

“I slept” Sam answered, not willing to surrender without a fight.

“I mean in a bed” Cooper explained with a chuckle.

“Me too” Sam answered before he was aware of it, and only when Blaine rolled his eyes at his big mouth he understood what a revelation he had made.

“Excuse me?” Cooper asked, more amused than anything.

“He… slept here with me… in my bed” Blaine shyly answered for him, wanting to spare his boyfriend from another third degree even if he deserved it for being such a bigmouthed bastard.

“I thought you were supposed to look after him and make sure he didn’t overdo it, not wear him out yourself” Cooper joked, turning to the blond with a mocking accusatory look at him.

“No, I…” Sam tried to justify himself, though Blaine was having none of it.

“Cooper!” he loudly admonished his brother until the latter laughed.

“We only slept, I swear” Sam couldn’t stop himself from adding, even if Cooper’s laughing told him he was not really in trouble.

“I’m just kidding” Cooper had to remind them again. “But seriously, you need to go home. It’s my turn to stay with the little rascal tonight”

“Yes, Sam” Blaine agreed, looking tenderly at the blond. “You should go home tonight”

“You don’t want me to stay?” Sam asked, and by the frown on his forehead Blaine could see he was more than a little upset at his words.

“Oh, no, no, no, Sam, I’d love for you to be the one to stay with me!” Blaine rushed to explain.

“Hey!” Cooper protested.

“Shut up” his brother answered, before turning to his boyfriend again. “I feel like crying just at the thought of separating from you”

“Then I’ll stay” Sam answered, because he didn’t have any intention to make Blaine cry. Like, ever.

“But Cooper is right, you need your rest. You’ve been here for almost twenty-four hours and don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be any more grateful about it” Blaine said with a smile, as he awkwardly reached with his hand for Sam’s cheek to cup it, so Sam neared the bed even more to grant him that wish. “But it would be very selfish of me to neglect your own needs, you know. You go home, have a lot of sleep and then, only if you want to, come back tomorrow”

“Do you really need to ask if I want to?” Sam asked tenderly, taking the hand still on his cheek and entwining their fingers together.

“I didn’t want to sound too arrogant” Blaine joked, lovingly squeezing Sam’s hand. “Now go, Cooper will take care of me”

“He better” Sam joked, chuckling at the expected reaction on his brother-in-law.

“Excuse me?” Cooper asked, feigning to be outraged. “I’m the adult here, remember?”

“Then God help us” Blaine exclaimed before turning to his boyfriend. “You can pass by the school and get my car, it’s totally yours. You’ve got the spare set of keys, right?”

“Right” Sam answered with a smile, as Blaine had given him a set of keys some time ago so Sam could use his car whenever he needed. He was generous as that.

“And now go. I’ll be alright”

“Promise?” Sam asked, apparently unable to separate from his boyfriend now he was aware of how much he really loved him.

“Promise” Blaine answered with a chuckle, because wasn’t Sam adorable when he worried?

“Alright, it’s two against one, I know when I can’t win” Sam joked as he stood up. “I’ll be back first thing in the morning”

“Make sure to get a lot of rest first, though” Blaine reminded him.

“And a shower would be nice too” Cooper added with a lopsided grin.

“Dating you comes with a high prize in the form of a brother-in-law, you know?” Sam only half joked as he bent over the bed and took Blaine’s lips in his in a quick kiss, marveling at how Blaine blushed at his actions.

“Sorry” Blaine answered in reference to his obnoxious brother, perfectly aware of how red his cheeks must be if how warm he suddenly felt was any indication of it.

“Sleep well. I love you” Sam reminded him, lovingly moving aside some stray curls on Blaine’s forehead.

“I love you too” Blaine answered, impossibly low, as he blushed even further.

**********

Just as promised, Sam made it back to the hospital as soon as it was light. He had rested, as promised, but awoken very early and he didn’t see the sense of trying to fall asleep again when he could be going to meet his boyfriend again. He had missed him, after all. And he was fretting to see if he was still feeling more or less alright.

He couldn’t help but smile as he drove Blaine’s car to the hospital. His boyfriend’s car, to be more precise. It should feel weird, right? But it wasn’t. It only felt new and familiar at the same time. Blaine and he had been the best of friends for some time now, and he had to admit their friendship had been so much closer that what would be considered normal. But he had always thought that it was because Blaine was gay and, consequently in Sam’s mind, not that afraid to show his emotions or being affectionate. Which Sam didn’t feel the need to either, knowing he didn’t need to pretend to be who he wasn’t in front of the other, as Blaine would never judge him. But it hadn’t been that, really, Sam could see it now. It’s just that all that time Sam was falling in love with Blaine, only in a slower pace than Blaine himself. He regretted having taken that long to realize about his feelings, as he knew he had been unintentionally hurting Blaine all along, but Blaine had assured him he didn’t care about that, and that the only thing that mattered was what he felt from now on. And he had no doubts about that anymore: he was totally and fully in love with the short guy. And he couldn’t be happier about it.

He almost burst into a big laughter as he silently entered the room –he didn’t want to wake Blaine up if he was still asleep– and found Blaine fully awake, sighing in frustration as Cooper loudly snored on the chair next to him.

“And he was supposed to take care of me, you know?” Blaine complained as soon as he saw Sam, although his face still lit up like a Christmas tree at his boyfriend’s mere presence.

“Hey, you” Sam whispered, rushing to the bed to taste those desirable lips again, as he hadn’t had nearly enough of them the day before.

“Hey, yourself” Blaine answered, once again blushing adorably at Sam’s displays of affection.

“So has he been like that all night?” Sam asked with a chuckle, looking at his open-mouthed, dead-to-the-world brother-in-law.

“I don’t know, fortunately I slept through all night. I just woke up, and needless to say I was totally unable to fall asleep again” Blaine explained, fondly smiling at his big brother. “What about you? I wasn’t expecting you so soon, did you get any sleep at all?”

“Yes, I did, don’t worry” Sam honestly answered, his heart melting at Blaine’s worries. “I was just too restless and in a very big need to see you to stay in bed any longer”

“Aren’t you the sweetest thing ever?” Blaine said as he cupped the back of Sam’s neck and made him bent over so he could kiss him this time. He knew Sam loved him and was now his boyfriend, but it was still hard to get it over his head enough for him to take the initiative most of the time –the fear of being predatory towards his friend still too fresh in his mind–. But he was going to overcome that fear, and sweet Sam was not making it any difficult with his tenderness and constant support.

“So how are you feeling today?” Sam asked, a smile still present on his lips at Blaine’s affections.

“Pretty much the same” Blaine confessed with a frustrated sigh. “It doesn’t hurt too bad with the painkillers and everything, but I hate it so much that I’m not allowed to move…”

“Well, you need to be patient” Sam tried to reason with him, even letting his hand get lost in Blaine’s wild but adorable curls for comfort, as he knew how hyperactive Blaine usually was, so being bed-ridden was even worst for him that would be for most people. “We don’t want you rebelling against it and getting hurt in the process, right?”

“No” Blaine admitted, trying to be sensible about it. He had been quite lucky to escape such an accident relatively unscathed, and it was in his hands he would remain that way.

“Then just let me take care of you, okay?” Sam suggested, once again taking a chair and bringing it impossibly close to Blaine’s bed so he could hold his hand in his. “And if you need to take your frustrations on someone, I’m here”

“You’re not real, are you?” Blaine asked, realizing he was feeling 100% better since Sam made it through the door.

“Well, I hope I am, because I wouldn’t want to miss this for the world” Sam answered, gently kissing the back of Blaine’s hand before a mischievous smile broke into his lips as he looked at the sleeping form of his brother-in-law. “Do you think I could maybe…?”

“Oh, be my guest” Blaine answered with a chuckle, immediately guessing his boyfriend’s intentions.

“Rise and shine, Cooper!” Sam yelled as loudly as he dared, considering they were in a hospital, as he strongly slammed his hand on the bedside table for more noise.

“What? What happened?” Cooper asked as he sat up on his chair, hair disheveled and barely open eyes, before the other two burst out laughing at him and he became aware of his surroundings. “There is a special place in hell for people like you both, you know?”

“Sorry, but I couldn’t help myself” Sam joked once he noticed a small smile on Cooper’s face that told him he was not really angry.

“Yes, after all your joking yesterday, you really had it coming” Blaine added, agreeing with his boyfriend.

“Touché” Cooper admitted as he stood up to have a stretch, every bone on his body aching after spending the night in a chair. “How are you feeling, Blainey?”

“I’m okay” Blaine answered with a reassuring smile, his heart warming up to the fact his brother cared so much about him, even if he didn’t always show it.

“And what are you doing here? I could have sworn I sent you home last night” Cooper joked, this time turning to his brother’s sweetheart.

“And you did, I just came back” Sam answered with a chuckle.

“Should have known I wasn’t going to get rid of you so easily”

“You should have known indeed” Sam answered, sending a tender look at his boyfriend that was immediately reciprocated.

“I’m not ready for all this sugar before breakfast” Cooper casually commented as he soundly yawned to get rid of the last traces of sleep. “I’ll go grab a bite at the cafeteria, I’ll be right back”

“Take your time!” Sam joked behind Cooper’s back as the latter left the room, and when Blaine laughed at his impertinence, Sam decided it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard –especially when it was him the one to elicit it. “Hey, I brought you something”

“What is it?” Blaine asked, excited as a little child, as Sam took something from his pocket.

“Damn it, I made it sound as if it was a gift or something and now you’re going to be disappointed” Sam sadly explained, only making Blaine smile even wider.

“Don’t be silly, you could never disappoint me even if you tried” he reassured him, straightening his hand in Sam’s direction so he would give me whatever it was.

“It’s just your mp3 player” Sam explained, glad to see that Blaine didn’t seem to be disappointed –on the contrary, he knew he had made the right decision in bringing it just by the way Blaine’s face lit up–. “It was in your car, and I thought you could use it when you get bored. Whenever I’m not around, I mean, I’m not letting you neglect me for an mp3 player, you know?”

“I would never do that” Blaine answered, laughing at his boyfriend’s poor attempt of humor as he offered one of his earphones. “But maybe we can use it together”

“Oh yeah, let’s!” Sam answered, excitedly, as there if there was something that united them more than comic books that was their passion for music. “Show me all your favorite tunes!”

“Sam, you already know all my favorite tunes”

“Ok, then show me your most romantic tunes”

“I can do that” Blaine answered, with that adorable shy smile that was becoming so much a part of him lately. “Get closer”

“As if you needed to ask” Sam joked as he brought his chair even closer to the bed and rested his head next to Blaine’s.

They hardly spoke as Blaine showed Sam his favorite ballads, but the contact on their joined hands and the little adoring smiles they kept sending each other, clearly in a romantic mood because of the music, were enough to make them enjoy the moment very much.

“Hey, put on that Phil Collins song you sang at the auditorium during the guilty pleasures week” Sam asked after a while. “It’s so beautiful”

“Oh, I… I don’t have it” Blaine answered, suddenly avoiding Sam’s gaze as he pretended to go through the songs on his player.

“What? You don’t have one of your favorite songs ever on your mp3 player?” Sam asked, unbelieving, because something in Blaine’s attitude told him something was up.

“I used to, but… I erased it a couple of weeks ago”

“Why?”

“I just… I had grown tired of it” Blaine explained, not sounding convincing even to himself.

“Just a few weeks ago it was your guilty pleasure and now you’re tired of it?” Sam insisted, as something wasn’t sitting right with him.

“Yeah. These things happen, you know” Blaine tried to avoid answering as he fumbled with his music device until Sam stopped him by grabbing his hand in his.

“B, what is really going on?” Sam asked, incisively, knowing Blaine wouldn’t refuse to answer that way.

“Ok, it’s just… it hurt too much to listen to it so I had to erase it” Blaine confessed in a whisper, still not looking at his boyfriend.

“Why?”

“Because… I practically declared my love for you with that song and…”

“And I didn’t reciprocate your feelings” Sam finished for him, suddenly understanding.

“Exactly. And… on top of it it started the whole debacle, so… it simply was too painful” Blaine explained, finally daring to look at the other boy and being surprised by all the guilty present in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Blaine” Sam apologized with the saddest sigh.

“Sam…” Blaine started, feeling guilty himself that he had made the other boy feel bad, but Sam wasn’t done yet.

“No, I really am” the blond insisted. “I’m so sorry I hurt you so much”

“Sam, you already apologized even if I told you there was no reason for you to do it. You’ve done nothing wrong, you know? And everything is fine now” Blaine tried to convince him, squeezing his hand to let him feel how honest he was with his words.

“Yes, but you were hurting because of me”

“Well, yeah, but… you were not hurting me on purpose, were you?”

“No, of course not” Sam immediately denied, remembering how painful it had been to see Blaine hurting those last few weeks knowing he was the main cause of it. “But if I had realized about my feelings sooner…”

“And what if you had never reciprocated my feelings? Would that have been your fault? Would you have been a bad person because of that?” Blaine tried to make him understand, as he was absolutely honest when he said he didn’t blame Sam for anything.

“Well…” Sam tried to argue, but he knew he was losing the case –Blaine usually had that power over him, after all.

“Is it my fault that Tina has a crush on me?” Blaine continued.

“No, of course not” Sam rushed to reply, before he was able to see what Blaine was doing.

“Then there you are” Blaine concluded with a smile, knowing he had broken his boyfriend’s stubbornness with his arguments.

“You’re very smart, did you know that?” Sam complained when he realized he had fallen in his trap just like that.

“It’s only you seeing me with kind eyes” Blaine answered, blushing slightly at the praise.

“Maybe, but to my eyes you’re perfect” Sam replied, getting up from his chair to get closer to those lips that drove him crazy.

“Oh, you want to talk” Blaine said with a smile as he prepared himself to receive a kiss from those lips he had dreamt about so many times.

“Blaine!” a strained cry and the door hitting the wall because of the force which it had been opened brought them apart by the unexpectedness of it and both turned to the door to see a very frightened Angelica Anderson rushing her way to her son’s bed.

“Hi, Mum” Blaine answered, trying to calm her down while willing his heart to return to its normal pace after the fright.

“My baby” she cried as she kissed his forehead and stayed there, her arms carefully around him as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Hey, it’s okay” Blaine tried to reassure her while patting her back in their awkward embrace –after all, he couldn’t get up to reciprocate it–, a little put out as he had never seen his mother like that.

“I’m so sorry we weren’t here when you needed us” she apologized after breathing deeply a couple of times to calm herself down, now that she had seen with her own eyes that her son was alive and more or less alright.

“And how were you supposed to know something like that was going to happen?” Blaine tried to reason with her.

“How are you feeling?” Angelica asked, finally raising his head from her son’s to have a good look at him and asset his condition for herself.

“Don’t worry, I’m alright now” Blaine answered, too quickly for his mother to believe him completely, but he hated seeing her like that. “Please, stop crying”

“You don’t look alright” she lamented, tenderly caressing her son’s cheek.

“That’s just the collar, that makes it look worse than it really is” Sam intervened, trying to help, as he could see his boyfriend getting a little overwhelmed at his mother’s tears.

“Oh, Sam, hello. I hadn’t seen you there, sorry” Angelica said as he turned to the other boy, her impeccable manners –there was no doubt where Blaine had learnt his– showing now that she was a bit calmer.

“Oh, it’s ok” Sam immediately dismissed the apology. “You were very worried, it’s totally understandable. I was pretty scared for a while too”

“But he got to see me getting progressively better all along, right?” Blaine said with a grateful smile towards his boyfriend, who seemed so keen on taking care of him in any possible way. “And so will you, I’m already better than I was yesterday”

“Have you been here all the time?” Angelica asked his son’s friend in amazement. He knew they were best friends and Sam spent quite a lot of time in their house, but still…

“Oh, not all the time, I went home for the night” Sam explained, embarrassedly trying to play down the importance of it.

“Just because I made you” Cooper intervened as he entered the room, not wanting for the younger boy to miss the credit he deserved –he liked him, after all, and by the way Blaine’s face lit up whenever Sam so much as looked at him, Cooper could tell he made his little brother very happy. “Hi, Mom”

“The thing is I did, right?” Sam insisted, wanting to put an end to that conversation, but of course Cooper was having none of it.

“Mom, Sam has been amazing” Cooper continued after embracing his mother, more seriously this time. “He took care of Blaine until I arrived, and even then I wasn’t able to send him home until late night”

“Thank you so much, Sam” she said as she moved away from Blaine’s bed for a second to warmly embrace his loyal friend. “You’re indeed a nice boy and a very good friend”

“Yes, what a great _friend_ he is” Cooper joked in a low tone, pretending to cough even if he could see Blaine sending him a killer look.

“Well, I didn’t want to leave him alone like that” Sam explained, awkwardly reciprocating the hug of… what? His mother-in-law now?

“Yeah, someone needed to keep him warm at night, right?” Cooper added with a mischievous smile, making Sam blush with embarrassment and Blaine with anger.

“Cooper!” he admonished him, while his brother laughed and his mother pretended not to understand what was happening.

“Cooper, please, stop picking on your brother while he is not healthy enough to defend himself” their father gently reprimanded his oldest son as he entered the room too and walked to the bed. “I was parking the car, but your mother couldn’t wait and practically jumped from the car as we passed by the entrance” he joked, trying to lighten the mood of the room and hiding his own fears behind some light joking –so Sam could easily see whom had passed that trait on Cooper.

“I believe you” Blaine answered with a chuckle, sending one tender smile towards his mother.

“How are you, son?” Don asked as he took his son’s hand in his.

“I’m alright, Dad”

“Good” he answered with a relieved smile. “Not that I believe you, but at least you’re feeling good enough to lie”

“Dad!” Blaine reprimanded his father with a chuckle. “Sam, save me from this family!”

“Oh, just don’t get me involved in this” Sam joked, openly laughing with the family.

“As if you weren’t involved enough as it is” Cooper added.

“Cooper!” Blaine protested.

**********

So now that Blaine’s parents were there, there was no way Sam could stay for the night, as much as he would have liked. Not that he didn’t understand her need to make up for her absence, but Blaine’s mother was glued to her son’s side, making their constant flirting and affection gestures all the more complicated –they had been dating for less than 48 hours, after all, they were still not that confident as to act normal around family–. It was not as if they were hiding their relationship –that boat had sailed as soon as Cooper opened his mouth anyway–, but that didn’t mean he was going to snog his little beautiful boyfriend in front of his parents, right?

Blaine’s father offered to drive him home, but Sam was quick to decline as Blaine reminded him his car was his to use as much as he wanted. After all, Blaine wouldn’t be able to be his lift the morning after –Monday already, urgh!–, so Sam could use it to go to school on his own. Sam was about to argue that maybe he could skip school and spend the day with him in the hospital when he saw the disapproving gaze on his boyfriend’s face, apparently having guessed his intentions already. So with a promise he would visit as soon as school was over and a very chaste kiss to his cheek –accompanied with an _I love you_ so soft that only Blaine could hear–, Sam finally left for home, happy and sad at the same time with Blaine’s family being back from vacation, as Blaine needed them but that relieved him from his duty as Blaine’s main caretaker and he didn’t like that so much.

As soon as he put a food inside the school on Monday morning, he was attacked by practically every member of the Glee club, the cheerios and the football team wanting to know how Blaine was fairing. Grateful and moved that they all cared so much about his boyfriend, Sam updated them on Blaine’s recovering state and thanked them for caring before trying to make a escape, feeling a bit overwhelmed at all the attention.

It wasn’t until lunch time when the glee club found him again and they all sat together to eat.

“Guys, forgive me for this morning, it was all a bit too much and the weekend was… intense, to say the least” Sam apologized, now that he didn’t have as many spectators as before.

“We understand, Sam” Artie answered as he patted the blond’s back comprehensively.

“We know it couldn’t have been easy after… after what happened” Marley added, not daring to talk about Sam’s feelings if he didn’t start himself.

“So can you tell us how he is with a little more detail?” Kitty pleaded, clearly upset, as Sam knew she and Blaine had gotten pretty close since he joined the cheerios. “We’ve been worrying a lot, you know”

“Yeah, when Mr. Schuester told us he was not up to visiting, we worried he might be worse than he was telling” Tina added, on the verge of tears, and Sam felt sorry for the girl and the feelings he knew she had for his boyfriend –which thankfully he didn’t reciprocate, Sam reminded himself.

“Yeah, sorry about that, maybe I should have gone out to talk with you but…”

“But you didn’t want to move away from him, we get it” Ryder finished for him in an understanding tone.

“So how is he?” Unique insisted.

“He’s doing much better” Sam quickly reassured them, as he felt a bit guilty about neglecting their worries for the past two days in his blind need to be by Blaine’s side. “I guess Mr. Schue told you he needs to be completely still for a few days so as not to risk further injury, right?”

“Yes, he told us they needed to make sure his displaced vertebrae wouldn’t hurt his spine” Tina answered, her voice still shaking with worry.

“Well, he’s in a bit of pain, and he also has a serious whiplash, but… fortunately he’ll make a full recovery as long as he behaves” Sam explained, even managing a little smile in the end. After spending the whole weekend with the other boy he wasn’t so terribly afraid anymore, but he was still a bit shaken about the whole accident and how close he had come to losing him, and the fact he was missing him so terribly didn’t help one bit.

“And… I bet you’re going to make sure he behaves” Kitty added, as a very subtle way of asking how things were between the two of them. After all, most of them had heard him cry over Blaine’s unconscious form while telling him that he loved him and telling the paramedics he was his boyfriend.

“Well…” Sam hesitated before answering. He would have preferred to tell them about their relationship when Blaine was at his side and was able to participate, but he didn’t know how long that was going to take and they deserved to know. He just wished he wouldn’t blush too furiously at the revelation. “If you must know, I asked Blaine to be my boyfriend and he said yes”

He expected joking, laughing, sarcastic comments about how Blaine had reached his goal, but none of that happened. He didn’t know if they were refraining themselves after what happened at the auditorium a few weeks ago (how offended Blaine had gotten at their jokes and the telling-off Sam had thrown at them afterwards) or they were genuinely horrified at the idea. But Sam felt the need to defend his boyfriend anyway; just in case.

“You might be thinking that Blaine has been stalking me until I surrendered, or that he spread his fairy dust all over me or whatever, but it’s nothing like that, you hear me? He was always very respectful and he never tried to…”

“Sam, we know” Artie stopped his tirade in everybody’s name. “You two are just made for each other, it was bound to happen sooner or later”

“Really?” Sam asked in bewilderment.

“Sam, we know Blaine feels as if we thought he was being predatory to you” Jake tried to explain, having been himself the one to throw the worst accusations, even in the form of humor. “But we don’t. We really don’t, and we still feel so sorry we hurt him. Those were some very unfortunate jokes, I agree, we should have seen how he was struggling”

“Yes, you should have” Sam agreed, but he immediately softened his stance. “But it’s alright now. It took me a long time to realize about my feelings for him but I’m not backing down because I really love him. I just hope all of you can accept that and… make him feel like part of the group again” Sam begged, starting to understand why Blaine hadn’t wanted to see them two days ago; he probably was still pretty offended at some of them. Or scared about what they would say about the fact he and Sam were now boyfriends.

“You don’t even have to ask, Sam” Unique assured him. “We feel horrible that we made him feel like that in the first place. We’ll make it alright as soon as we can talk to him”

“I guess he is in no condition to text yet, though, right?” Artie asked. “He didn’t answer any of our messages”

“Oh, no, he really can’t” Sam lied, as he had been texting non-stop with him before falling asleep and again as soon as they woke up. “But he told me to say thanks to you, guys”

“Do you think we could go and see him today?”

“Oh, I… I think it would be better if you waited until he was home and a bit stronger” Sam answered, as he knew he needed to talk to Blaine about them before forcing their presence on him. “You know how he hates being seen as vulnerable”

“You’re right” Tina agreed, knowing how important it was for Blaine to not look weak. “Give him out best regards”

“And… we’re happy about you two” Marley added with a reassuring smile. “You make a great couple”

“We do, don’t we?” Sam answered, only half joking, already feeling better with the comforting presence of his friends, and his smile only got wider when everybody eagerly agreed with him.

**********

The rest of the day was passing so slowly Sam thought he would go crazy. The only thing he wanted was for the bell to ring so the class finished and he could get going. Yes, okay, he had football training that day after classes, but maybe he could skip it and Blaine wouldn’t reprimand him too much, right? After all, he was sure his boyfriend was going crazy surrounded by his overwhelming family, so maybe he would appreciate Sam’s company. And not that Sam felt that comfortable in that room with Blaine’s parents and his obnoxious big brother –it was not that he didn’t like them, or that they didn’t like him but well, it was just easier when it was only Blaine and him, right? –, but he would suck it up and do it, because he would do anything to be at Blaine’s side, especially when he needed him.

His salvation came in the form of a text on his phone. He anxiously took it from his pocket and opened it, his heart beating faster at discovering it was from Blaine.

_Hi, Sammy_ _J_ _They’re releasing me right now! We only have to wait for the certificate of discharge and they will be taking me home in an ambulance (apparently I’m not yet allowed to move). So… only if you’re available, of course… maybe you could come to mine’s later for a little while? I kinda miss you…_

“Good news?” Artie asked at this side, as the smile on Sam’s face was too obvious to ignore.

“Yes, the best of news!” Sam excitedly answered. “Blaine just texted me. I mean, his brother did” he rushed to lie, as he had assured his friend Blaine was not up to texting just a while ago. “Blaine is going home today”

“That’s great, Sam!” Artie happily responded, friendly slapping Sam’s back with excitement.

Sam looked back at his phone and his smile only got bigger. Not just because Blaine was well enough to leave the hospital, but the whole message was so sweet… Apparently he was just as anxious to see him as he himself was, but he was still too shy and expectant about their relationship to openly say it. Sam bet he had been blushing all the time as he tried to ask him to come visit him without wanting to impose. And the way he said he _kinda_ missed him so as not to sound too clingy and scare him away or something… He couldn’t help it, he was just too adorable, Sam thought with a sloppy smile.

He was still grinning like an idiot when the bell finally rang a couple of minutes later and he hurriedly said goodbye to Artie and ran to the parking lot, hoping he could get to the hospital before Blaine was released –apparently the decision to miss his football training had been made for him–. He knew it was silly, and he could wait for him to get home and accommodated before visiting but… he was not a friend anymore, he was his boyfriend. He didn’t want to resign to _visiting_ , he wanted to be a part of everything in his life, of the good moments and the bad ones, not just spending some time with him when everybody else that mattered –mainly his family– had already taken care of the harder parts. No, Sam was going to be there for him in every stage of his recovery, and getting to the hospital before he was released would be the first step.

Knowing he was probably breaking all the traffic rules he could imagine, he made it to the hospital in record time and ran to his boyfriend’s room, the one that had become like a second home to him for the past three days.

“Hey!” he said, announcing his presence with a relieved grin at seeing the Andersons still there as he tried to gather his breath after the major physical strain.

“Mmm, Sam, we’re going home now, Blaine’s father is waiting for us in the ambulance” Angelica explained as he finished gathering all of Blaine’s belongings in a bag.

“I know, Blaine texted me. Isn’t it great news?” he answered in a rush, not able to hide his excitement as he finally walked the remaining steps to the bed, where Blaine was looking at him with the widest smile and the most tender gaze. “Hey, B” Sam lovingly said, refraining himself from calling him _babe_ in front of his mother even if it was what he really wanted to say, as he picked Blaine’s hand in his.

“Hi, Sammy” Blaine answered, equally loving and sighing contentedly as Sam dared to give his cheek a quick kiss.

“No, but I meant… We’re leaving right now” Blaine’s mother insisted, as Sam didn’t look as if he had understood it was not the right time for visiting.

“Great, I was worried I wouldn’t be here on time” Sam said with a relieved sigh, turning to her even if he didn’t let go of Blaine’s hand.

“Sam, what I mean…” she tried one more time.

“Mom, he’s coming with us” Blaine interrupted her, guessing what she was trying to say.

“Blaine, you need to rest” Angelica tried to reason with her son, even if she could see she might be overprotecting him. “You know they’re only letting you out because we promised you’d rest exactly as if you were here”

“And I will, just… Sam can be with me while I rest, right?” Blaine said, and Sam vigorously nodded in agreement to help him.

“Honey, I’m sure your friend can come visit in a couple of days, when you’re feeling better and…”

“He’s not my friend, and you know it” Blaine didn’t let her finish, as he didn’t like it when she pretended not to see what was going on around her.

“Even then, what you need…” she insisted, only to be interrupted by her oldest son this time.

“Mom, come on!” Cooper practically yelled from the other side of the room. “He just needs his boyfriend close when he’s hurt and frustrated, is that so hard to understand?”

“No, but Blaine is seriously hurt and he needs…” she insisted, though she could see she was losing the battle against the three boys, when the only thing she wanted was some peace so her little boy could get better.

“What he needs is for you to stop fighting him about it” Cooper gently admonished her. “Sam will take care of him, you know? Who do you think took care of him before I arrived? He even spent the night here with him so he didn’t have to be alone, for God’s sake! I think Sam deserves some credit for that. And well, yeah, they love each other and want to be together, big deal. You’re only getting more help to take care of Blaine, I don’t see a downside to this”

“Alright, you can come with us” she relented with a sigh, trying not to smile as he saw the loving look the two boys exchanged at that. He did like Sam after all, and she was not against the obvious change in their relationship. It’s just… Blaine needed a lot of rest, and they were too young to know any better.

“In the ambulance with me?” Blaine dared to ask with a mischievous smile, even if he knew what the answer was going to be.

“Don’t push your luck, young man” she warned him, although everyone could see her fighting not to grin at her cheeky son.

“Ok” he accepted good-naturedly, shrugging his shoulders as well as he could due to his ever-present collar. “You can’t blame me for trying”

“I’ll go tell your father we’re ready” she said before fondly patting the top of Blaine’s head and leaving the room in search of her husband.

“Hey, you” Sam lovingly said, turning to him again and bending over to give a quick kiss to his lips now that his mother wasn’t there –he didn’t care about Cooper’s presence that much, especially after defending them in such a way.

“Hey yourself” Blaine answered in an adoring tone.

“Oh my God, I should have let Mom sent him home” Cooper interrupted them with a groan of feigned disgust at their display –though the truth was that he thought they couldn’t get more adorable. Young love!

“Thanks, Coop” Blaine honestly said, able to see through Cooper’s pretence.

“I’m not always here to torture you, you know” Cooper answered in defense of himself.

“Just every now and then?”

“Exactly. And now, my dear brother-in-law, you’re going to be my lift so let’s go” Cooper said as he grabbed Sam’s arm and pulled him to the door.

“Save me!” Sam yelled at his back, even if he couldn’t be happier about how good Cooper had accepted him as his brother’s partner.

**********

They took Blaine to his very room on a stretcher and very carefully deposited him in his own bed with strict orders not to move a muscle for at least two or three more days –everyone had nodded vigorously at the instructions even if Blaine groaned at the many battles he could see himself fighting against no less than four very stubborn people–.

The trip from the hospital was harder on Blaine that he wanted to admit, and the expression in his beautiful face told Sam he was in more pain than the day before due to all the movement. He also seemed quite overwhelmed with so many people around, even if they all wanted to help and had the best of intentions –which was probably the only thing keeping Blaine from yelling at them to leave him alone–. He knew Blaine was craving some peace and intimacy to be with his boyfriend on their own for a while –he knew that because it was the only thing he wanted himself–, so he needed to try and give it to him.

“Oh, look at what time it is” Sam said as he looked at his wrist, though he quickly hid his arm as he noticed he was not even wearing a watch. “Maybe Blaine should have some supper. Are you hungry, B?”

“No” he quickly answered, as the last thing on his mind was to eat when he was trying not to cry at the pain he was feeling and the frustration of being unable to move for the third day in a row and the lack of peace it elicited.

“The doctors said we shouldn’t force him to eat anything today, that he would probably be feeling a bit uncomfortable after all the moving” her mother was quick to intervene and Blaine sighed in relief that no one was going to force him to eat.

“But the rest of you should eat something anyway, right?” Sam suggested, immediately noticing how Blaine’s hand found its way into his in gratitude when he realized what he was doing.

“Probably, it’s pretty late indeed” Don easily agreed.

“So are you staying for dinner or do you need to go home, Sam?” Angelica asked politely.

“Oh, I’m not hungry, I just had a snack before I made it to the hospital” Sam lied, hoping his hungry stomach wouldn’t betray him and send a loud complain. “But tell you what, why don’t you all go and have supper and I’ll stay here with Blaine meanwhile?”

“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” Angelica insisted.

“Positive, thank you, ma’am” Sam answered with the impeccable manners he knew the Andersons appreciated.

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Angelica, Sam?” she said with a chuckle as she walked to the door.

“Always one more, apparently” Sam joked back as his in-laws finally left the room. But before he could turn to his boyfriend, Cooper poked his head round the door for a second.

“Don’t think I couldn’t see what you did there” Cooper said, eliciting a hearty laugh on the blond guy –though only a tiny smile on his brother–. “I like your methods”

“Thank you, bro” Sam answered, though his gaze turned worriedly towards his quiet boyfriend.

“Behave, you two” Cooper warned them before effectively disappearing and finally leaving the lovebirds alone for a while.

Sam didn’t waste any time in leaving the chair he had been sitting on and lying next to his boyfriend, careful so as not to jostle him in the slightest, before putting his arm around Blaine’s waist like he had done the night of the accident –and God, he had missed that.

“Hey, babe” he said in his most loving voice, and he was both moved and amused at the crimson shade that appeared on Blaine’s cheeks almost instantly at his words. “Hey, you’re blushing”

“I’m not” Blaine protested, blushing even more deeply about having been caught.

“You so are!” Sam insisted with a laugh, hoping to lift Blaine’s spirits. “Is it because I called you _babe_?”

“You don’t have to feel so full of yourself, you know I blush easily” Blaine replied in a serious tone, though he couldn’t help a little smile from breaking in the corner of his lips.

“Yeah, sure, _babe”_ Sam insisted, though he kissed Blaine’s cheek to compensate all the mocking. “And all jokes aside now, are you going to tell me what’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing’s wrong” Blaine answered, wishing he was able to put his own arms around Sam even if he had to content to put his hand over the arm holding him and gently caress it up and down. “I’m just tired. And bored”

“You sure?” Sam insisted, not that convinced.

“Of course. Try spending three days lying down without the possibility to move and tell me how funny it is” Blaine explained with a sigh that only made Sam want to wrap in his arms forever, even if that was not really an option right then.

“I know it isn’t, sweetie, but it’s going to be better so soon” Sam tried to reassure him as his hand started tracing comforting patterns on Blaine’s tummy and chest, like the night of his accident.

“You are making it better already, just by being here” Blaine confessed with a little smile as he looked intently at his boyfriend, this time being him making the latter blush.

“I wish I could put my arm around your shoulders and you could cuddle on my chest. I know we’ve cuddled sometimes before, but this time I would hold you real close, and kiss you every now and then, you know” Sam voice his wishful thinking, finally managing to make Blaine smile completely.

“That would be wonderful. Maybe in a couple of days…” Blaine answered, trying to sound more optimistic so Sam wouldn’t worry.

“Well, I can still hold you around your little cute tummy”

“Excuse me?”

“And kiss you every now and then anyway”

“That would be nice”

“And tell you I love you” Sam reminded him, placing a kiss on the corner of Blaine’s mouth before realizing Blaine’s cheeks were turning reddish again, which instantly made Sam chuckle fondly at him. “Oh my God, you do blush easily!”

“I’m not blushing!” Blaine protested even if he knew he was.

“You’re so adorable!” Sam exclaimed, laughing wholeheartedly at his cute boyfriend.

“Don’t make fun of me!” Blaine begged, pretending to be angry even if he could hardly hold back his own laughter.

“I’m afraid I should warn you that having me as your boyfriend comes with a price, and that is being the centre of most of my jokes” Sam warned him, even if he lifted his upper body slightly from the bed so he could enter in Blaine’s line of vision and also play with the curls lying on his forehead.

“Even when I’m so terribly hurt and on the brink of death?” Blaine joked, contentedly sighing at Sam’s loving ministrations.

“Even then. But then I will always make it better with a kiss or something” Sam explained, capturing Blaine’s lips in a slow kiss to prove his point.

“Oh, alright. I guess I can take that, then” Blaine easily agreed, giving Sam one of his million-dollar-smiles.

“So now let me think… What could we possibly do to deal with your boredom? Do you want to listen to some music again?”

“No, please, it’s all I’ve done all day!”

“A movie, maybe? In your laptop?”

“Oh yeah! I knew I loved you for a reason!” Blaine answered, excitedly.

“Oh, look at you getting all confident with words all of a sudden!” Sam joked, as it was probably the first time Blaine had told him he loved him without blushing or stuttering, even if he was just fooling around.

“Shut up” Blaine answered with a laugh, following his boyfriend around the room with his gaze as he got up to get the laptop –he would never get enough of his beauty, would he?

“So now what movie do you want to watch?” Sam asked as he went back to the bed. “I’ll let you pick. See? I’m a wonderful boyfriend”

“Yes, you are, indeed” Blaine quickly agreed, knowing Sam was practically incapable of denying him anything. “Maybe… _The princess bride_?”

“Can I change my mind about letting you pick?” Sam joked, glad to see Blaine appeared to be in a better mood already.

“Not really” Blaine answered with a chuckle.

“Ok, then. As you wish”

“Calm down, Westley, and lie here with me”

“I thought you were never going to ask” Sam laughed as he once again lay down next to his boyfriend and tried to balance the laptop between them. “Can you see it like this?”

“Not really” Blaine lamented, feeling bad about complaining but not wanting to lie.

“What if I rest the laptop on your stomach?” Sam suggested, following his own instructions and waiting for an answer.

“I can’t bend my neck enough” Blaine answered, his voice getting softer and softer by the second.

“Maybe if I hold the laptop like this over our heads…” Sam tried, noticing how Blaine’s mood kept falling down and not knowing what to do to avoid it.

“You can’t hold it like that, Sam, your arms will kill you in a couple of minutes” Blaine reasoned with him, and it was when Blaine’s voice shook slightly at the end when Sam noticed how his eyes were getting glassy with unshed tears and his heart broke at the image.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Sam asked, immediately putting the laptop aside to throw his arm around Blaine’s chest in a half embrace in an attempt of comfort.

“Nothing” Blaine answered, and Sam could see he was having real trouble to hold back his tears.

“Oh, come on, B, tell me what’s the matter” Sam pleaded, gently running his fingers along Blaine’s cheek. “You know I can’t stand to see you cry”

“I’m not crying”

“But you’re on the verge of tears. What’s wrong? Is it something I did?”

“No, please!” Blaine hurried to deny, as the last thing he wanted was to make his perfect boyfriend feel bad. “You’ve been nothing but wonderful to me!”

“Well, I already knew that” Sam joked, happy when he was able to elicit a watery smile out of the other boy. “Then what is it?”

“I’m so frustrated! I know I should be grateful that I came out of this relatively unscathed and I’m not going to have permanent damage and everything… But I can’t stand it!” Blaine finally opened his heart up to his boyfriend as the tears finally found their way down his cheeks, too many hours of keeping it together paying his toll on the boy. “I can’t do anything, I’m so uncomfortable, everything hurts and on top of everything they all won’t stop hovering over me like I’m going to break any second. I know they mean well, but they’re driving me crazy” Blaine continued, not able to stop a sob. “It’s too much, Sam, and I can’t deal with it anymore”

“Yes, you can because you’re the strongest person I know, B” Sam reminded him, wishing with all his heart he could hug him, though he had to content himself with caressing the top of his head, carding his fingers through his curls until the tips could caress his scalp. “I know it’s a lot to deal with, and it’s very frustrating, but if someone can do it, that would be you, I know that much”

“You think so?” Blaine asked with a little smile, moved at the high opinion Sam had of him.

“Of course I am!” Sam assured him, and he very slowly leant his head on Blaine’s chest, careful so as not to rest a lot of weight on him but wanting him to feel him near. “What, do you think I would date a weak and whiny guy?”

“I’m sorry, Sam” Blaine apologized as this time he started caressing the top of Sam’s head.

“For what?” Sam asked, looking almost indignant at the thought Blaine would need to apologize as he lifted his head again to look intently at his boyfriend.

“For acting like a spoilt kid” Blaine lamented, avoiding Sam’s glance in embarrassment, now that he seemed to have regained control over his emotions. “I just cried in front of you, for God’s sake”

“And I’m glad you did” Sam honestly answered, gently grabbing Blaine’s chin to force him to look at him. “Not that I’m glad that you felt bad enough to cry, don’t get me wrong, but… the fact that you felt secure enough to do it in front of me. It feels… good and real”

“Well, the truth is I couldn’t really control it…” Blaine answered with a shy chuckle that immediately elicited a hearty laugh from the blond boy.

“Don’t spoil it, you jerk” he reprimanded him, jokingly slapping his hip. “And don’t apologize for breaking down ever again, B. You’re not acting like a spoilt kid, you’ve been hanging on for three whole days and it’s the first time I’ve heard you complain about it. It’s okay to let it go every now and then, you know”

“You’re just too good to me” Blaine said, looking at him with so much adoration that Sam’s heart melted.

“No, I’m too in love with you” he said, equally loving, and couldn’t help a chuckle when he noticed Blaine blushing. Again. “Aaaaand there we go again”

“You do it on purpose, right?” Blaine asked, knowing fully well what Sam was referring to.

“A little, I have to admit it’s quite funny” Sam answered, kissing Blaine’s cheek to redeem himself before lying at his side again, his arm curling around Blaine’s middle again immediately. “And now, young man, I promised you _The princess bride_ and _The princess bride_ you’re going to get”

“How? We already tried and I can’t see it”

“No, but you’ve still got your ears, right?”

“Yes” Blaine answered, smiling and frowning at the same time at the unknown intentions of his boyfriend.

“So get ready, because you’ve never had a version of it like the one you’re about to get” Sam promised him as he made himself even more comfortable as he cuddled against Blaine’s side to start his story. “Once upon a time there was this little farm in a far far away country nobody knows the name of”

“It was called Florin” Blaine answered before he was able to stop himself.

“Shut it, you know-it-all” Sam answered, feigning to be offended at the interruption. “So there was this adorable teeny tiny farmer boy called Blaine”

“He was probably not so tiny” Blaine intervened, and Sam was so glad to see him happily grinning at him that his heart started fluttering like crazy with excitement at having been able to make Blaine forget about his pain and frustration with his nonsense.

“Oh, he was. But he was also cute, sweet and mostly perfect” he added, looking intently at his boyfriend so he would understand he meant every word. “In fact, he was so cute and sweet and perfect that his very attractive and funny and also quite perfect employee, called Sam, was head over heels for him”

“Oh, was he?” Blaine asked with a shy smile, wishing with all his heart he could nestle on Sam’s chest right then and hide under his chin forever.

“Yes, indeed he was” Sam responded, apparently reading his mind because he reinforced his grip around Blaine’s middle to compensate his inability to move. “So every time Blaine would order him to do something, like reaching something for him, ‘cause had I mention he was kind of tiny?”

“Had I mentioned you’re kind of an idiot?” Blaine retorted, making both of them laugh in unison.

“Schhht, don’t interrupt me” Sam protested. “As I was saying, every time Blaine asked Sam to do something for him, Sam would answer _as you wish_. And one day Blaine discovered that every time Sam said _as you wish_ he was really saying _I love you_. And even more amazing was the day little Blaine realized he truly loved him back. So they kissed. Like… a lot. And it was pretty hot”

“You have a way with words, did you know that?” Blaine sarcastically added, although he knew he couldn’t feel happier than he did at the moment, when this dorky boy was being all kinds of sweet and silly and caring, only for him, only to make him feel better. And it was still hard for him to believe that Sam loved him, that he was now his boyfriend and that they would probably be sharing tones of moment like that.

“Just wait until they reach the Fire Swamp, you’re going to love my impression of the Rodent of unusual size so much” Sam guaranteed him in his most serious tone.

“Oh my God” Blaine exclaimed, hardly ever to contain his laughter.

That’s how Sam continued with his story, half retelling what he knew was one of Blaine’s favorite movies ever –he knew because he had made him watch it four or five times in revenge for the thousands of times he had had to watch _Avatar_ just because he couldn’t say no to Sam– half making it up to make it fit with the new characters. Unfortunately Blaine never got to hear Sam’s impression of the R.O.U.S, as Sam added so many details and flourishes to the story that Blaine ended up falling sleep half way through it, the painkillers and the contentment Sam elicited having that action of him. Sam stopped talking when he noticed, but he didn’t move an inch away from him, also content just looking at him while holding him and also happy that it had been him the one putting that smile that was still on Blaine’s face even as he slept.

A few minutes later the door to the room opened slowly and silently, and Blaine’s mother made her way in while carrying a tray with a bowl of soup that smelt really delicious and made Sam’s hungry stomach jump –though Sam couldn’t mention that, as he had lied about being hungry–. Sam, though, had more important things to think about, as he was just realizing he was lying on his boyfriend’s bed, with an arm around his boyfriend’s waist, while said boyfriend’s mother was looking at them. Feeling his cheeks about to explode with a sudden warmth, he was about to jump from the bed when Angelica stopped him with his hand.

“Sam, please, you don’t need to get up, it’s not like I was born yesterday, you know?” she kindly answered in a whisper as she left the tray on Blaine’s bedside table, trying not to wake him up.

“Oh, no, Blaine and I haven’t…” Sam tried to justify himself after what Blaine’s mother seemed to be implying about how intimate their relationship was, but she immediately stopped him.

“Sam, sweetie, it’s one thing that I’m okay with it and another one that I would want to know the details” she joked as she carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, next to her son’s legs so she could lovingly rest a hand on his calf, though he turned serious all of a sudden. “Look, I don’t know when this happened or how it happened, but… I know I’m glad it did. Blaine couldn’t have found a more perfect boy for him than you”

“Wow, Mrs. Anderson…” Sam exclaimed, a lump forming in his throat at his mother-in-law’s unexpected appraisal. Of course she had never been anything but warm and sweet to him, but that was when he and Blaine were friends. It didn’t necessarily mean she approved of him as a boyfriend to her little boy.

“Angelica, Sam” she corrected her with a fond smile.

“Sorry, Angelica” Sam said, smiling shyly at her. “I’m so grateful to hear that but… I couldn’t have found a better boyfriend than Blaine either…” he explained, his gaze turning to the sleeping boy in his arms to smile stupidly at him. “I’ve always known Blaine was a very special guy, I just hadn’t realized how deeply I felt for him until recently”

“Well, in any case I’m just glad you did”

“Really?”

“Of course really” she answered, turning to look at her youngest son herself. “Who do you think put that smile on his face? He had been brooding and trying not to cry all day until you appeared, you know? He was trying to feign he was alright, but I can read him like a book”

“He didn’t want all of you to worry” Sam answered with a fond smile, his first instinct to defend his boyfriend even if it probably wasn’t necessary with his mother, who obviously loved him so much.

“I’m glad you could make it all better then” she answered, reaching over Blaine to gratefully pat Sam’s leg this time. “I was bringing this soup in case he had changed his mind about eating, but I think we should let him sleep” she said, and Sam graciously took the hint that it was pretty late and he should get going, so he slowly stood up. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“What do you think?” Sam joked, feeling amazingly comfortable with the woman after their conversation, more than he had ever done, so he didn’t hesitate to kiss Blaine’s forehead as a goodbye this time even if she was looking.

“Goodnight, Sam” she smiled at the sweet boy. “Drive safely and sleep well”

“Thank you, Angelica. And tell Blaine that I…” he said, but he suddenly felt too self conscious to continue –it was still his mother-in-law, for God’s sake!– “…that I will see him tomorrow”

“Oh, he loves you too” she said, not been able to stop a laugh as he saw her son’s boyfriend blushing while running to the door.

**********

The next day passed on a similar way, with Sam facing a neverending day of school as Blaine lay in his bed, bored and frustrated as his brother tried, unsuccessfully, to keep him entertained –even if he knew only the presence of a certain blond could really make a difference–. But as soon as school was over, Sam again ignored any kind of activity outside school and rushed to Blaine’s house.

Blaine’s dad, who apparently had taken a couple of days off-work to help taking care of his youngest son, opened the door for him and invited him to go upstairs to his room. And there Sam was amused to find Cooper lying next to his little brother, reading to him from a magazine as Blaine looked out-of-his-mind bored.

“Hey” Sam said to make his presence known and it was funny how the two brothers turned to him with identical relieved expressions.

“Good, your boyfriend is here now, Blainey, you can’t stop sulking now” Cooper said with a smirk.

“I was not sulking” Blaine complained, but by the annoyed tone of his voice, Sam was sure that was exactly what he had been doing.

“Yes, you were!” Cooper contradicted, apparently finding the situation funnier than Blaine. “Even if I have been kind enough to spend half the afternoon reading to you”

“Yes, from a gossip magazine I couldn’t care less about!” Blaine complained, and he looked accusingly at Sam when the latter couldn’t help but snort at the brother’s silly argument.

“What were you expecting me to do, to read you some Shakespeare? I needed to be entertained too, you arrogant brat” Cooper jokingly complained, though he ruffled his brother’s hair in a affectionate gesture.

“Thank you anyway, Coop” Blaine said, slightly smiling this time. “I know you meant well”

“I get the feeling he would rather have you lying next to him” Cooper said as he started getting up from the bed to leave his place to the blond and eager boy waiting next to the door. “Keep it safe, boys, remember Blaine is supposed to rest, so no strenuous activities, please”

“Will you get lost already?” Blaine ordered him, mockingly frustrated at his obnoxious big brother.

“I’m going, I’m going” Cooper said with a laugh as he passed by Sam and pushed him towards the bed. “If you manage to make him smile, take a picture of it, please, I can’t remember how it was”

“Get out!” Blaine yelled with a laugh, and would have surely send a pillow flying his way if he was able to move that much.

Sam waited until Cooper was effectively out of the room before walking the remaining steps that were still separating them and sat on the edge of the bed with a mischievous smile.

“Pet name alert, pet name alert! Please, control your blushing!” he joked, and he was immediately rewarded with the biggest smile.

“What an idiot you are!” Blaine said while trying to control his laughter.

“Yes, but I’m sure you missed me” Sam cockily answered as he hovered over Blaine’s face teasingly.

“Like crazy” Blaine admitted unashamedly as he cupped the back of Sam’s head and brought him closer to him to capture his lips on a slow kiss that showed Sam how much he had missed him indeed. “And where’s my pet name, by the way?”

“Oh, look at you, suddenly getting all demanding instead of blushing all around, _babe_ ” Sam joked as he booped Blaine’s nose.

“I’m getting used to it” Blaine answered, although he knew there was still a long way to go before he could accept Sam’s affections without batting an eyelid.

“You’re still blushing” Sam replied with a chuckle as he bent down to kiss Blaine’s lips again –yes, he was definitely addicted to them by then.

“But less” Blaine defended himself, talking against Sam’s lips.

“Alright, maybe a little less” Sam admitted as he gave Blaine’s lips another kiss –God, it was as if he couldn’t stop himself!– But he forced himself to separate from those delicious lips, as he had left something just outside the room that he wanted his boyfriend to see. “I brought you something”

“Did you?” Blaine asked, excited like a little child, and Sam fondly laughed at his adorable boyfriend.

“Of course I did! You’re injured, you need to be spoilt” Sam explained as he went to get his gift and came back to the bed with it. “And as your boyfriend, I think that duty falls onto me, right?”

“What’s this?” Blaine asked as Sam showed him his gift, which appeared to be a cardboard box without one of its sides and a whole on the opposite one.

“This is a magical contraption I designed so you can watch movies and read your ebook while lying down and mostly entertain yourself without having to turn to Cooper while I’m not around” Sam explained, obviously quite proud of himself and his brilliant idea.

“Isn’t it a box?” Blaine asked with a frown, still not understanding what Sam was expecting him to do with it.

“No, it’s a magical box, don’t ruin it!” Sam explained as he took the box from his hands and put it over him, so the part with the whole would stand in front of his face as he lay down on his back. “See? I made a whole on top of it so we can get under the box, place the laptop on top with the screen in the whole and watch the movie through it”

“Sam, that’s brilliant!” Blaine exclaimed, carefully moving the box aside and pulling Sam’s sleeve to make him bend over and eagerly kiss him again.

“I know!” Sam answered, trying to hide behind some joking how moved he was at the fact he had made Blaine so happy and how proud he felt that Blaine thought he was able to have brilliant ideas. “Don’t you have the smartest boyfriend ever?”

“Of course I do, though I didn’t need this to know that” Blaine answered, being completely honest and making the butterflies in Sam’s stomach to go wild at the high opinion Blaine had on him and his intelligence.

“And that’s why I love you so much” Sam said, this time being him the one to blush.

“I love you too” Blaine answered as he got over his own embarrassment and captured Sam’s lips once again, as he was afraid he would never get tired of them. “And hey, talking about being smart, are you going to bring me my homework one of these days?”

“Not really” Sam answered with a shrug of shoulders.

“Why not?”

“Because I know you and as soon as I bring them to you, you will forget about resting and lying flat and all that and going crazy about it. I’m collecting them, don’t worry, I’ll keep them safe until you’re given the ok to start moving around. But until then, consider yourself on vacation”

“You’ll have to help me with them, then, after so many days” Blaine asked, smiling tenderly at his boyfriend.

“Oh my God, you’re so screwed if you’re depending on my help” Sam joked, though Blaine could see through him and knew Sam’s opinion on his own intelligence.

“Well, as you said you’re the smartest boyfriend ever and I am putting myself in your hands” Blaine said, even giving Sam’s lips a quick peck for good measure. “I wouldn’t have anyone else for that job, so be sure you’re going to help me with whatever I’ve missed”

“But Blaine, I…” Sam tried to protest, more seriously this time as he didn’t want to disappoint Blaine when he seemed to think Sam could really help him, but the brunet didn’t want to hear it.

“You are the most amazing, wonderful and intelligent boyfriend there is, and you won’t want me to fall behind when you could so easily give me a hand, right?” Blaine said with an adoring smile and amazing manipulative skills that instantly melted Sam’s heart.

“Right” he was forced to agreed with a smile and a shake of his head, hugely grateful at the unconditional trust his boyfriend had in him. “Thanks, B”

“You’re welcome” Blaine answered with a smile. “And now let’s give this amazing invention a good use. What movie do you want to watch? I bet we can both fit under this thing, right?”

“Of course, I made sure of that” Sam replied, going to the other side of the bed so he could lie next to his boyfriend, as close as he could manage so they could indeed fit under the box –okay, maybe it was not necessary to be that close, but he was not going to tell Blaine that–. “But no, we still have to watch _The princess bride_ , we didn’t get to watch it yesterday and a promised you we would”

“Sammy, I already had the best version of it yesterday” Blaine answered, unable to keep a smile out of his face as he reminisced about Sam’s wonderful solution just the day before. “So come on, you pick today. Or in other words, get _Avatar_ ready, come on”

“Really?” Sam asked, already grinning with excitement.

“Really” Blaine assured him with a fond smile.

“You’re the best” Sam sentenced as he kissed the corner of Blaine’s mouth and moved even closer to him to watch his favorite movie, getting ready to make all the impressions he could manage as his main objective in life nowadays seemed to make his boyfriend laugh.

“Sammy” Blaine’s voice got him out of his reverie.

“Mmm?” Sam replied, distracted, as he only wanted the fun to start.

“Maybe you should get the laptop” Blaine suggested with a smile at his absentminded boyfriend.

“Oh right” Sam answered with a chuckle as he jumped from the bed to get it.

He quickly got it and secured it to the box with some duct tape he had also brought before making his way under the box again, impossibly close to the other boy, and pushed the play button as his other hand found Blaine’s to entwine their fingers together in an intimate gesture.

As they didn’t need to give it all their attention, as they had watched the movie a thousand times before, they could easily have a conversation meanwhile, in which Sam updated Blaine in everything related to high school and the outside world in general, as he was pretty much in complete isolation thanks to his injury. Blaine only reprimanded him when Sam reminded him he was skipping Glee club that afternoon to be with him, but Sam wouldn’t hear of it and complained that he was more important and needed to be with him, that it was enough that he had to spend the day in school on his own so as to make it even longer with Glee practice. In the end, Blaine didn’t have the heart to admonish him any longer, as he couldn’t be happier to have Sam with him, so he brought his hand to his lips and kissed each one of his knuckles, as Sam had done for him the night he got injured.

“By the way, with all the chaos from the previous days I forgot to tell you, but all the guys told me to give you all their love” Sam explained, trying to keep his voice from shaking with emotion after Blaine’s gesture of absolute love. “They really miss you”

“Yeah, I’m sure they do” Blaine answered a little more sarcastically that he had intended.

“What does that mean?” Sam asked, forgetting about the film and turning to Blaine.

“Nothing” Blaine answered with a smile, patting Sam’s hand in an attempt to get him to let go.

“What’s happening here?” Sam asked, even pausing the movie so as to give Blaine his whole attention. “They said they had been texting you, but you never answered them. Why’s that?”

“I’m supposed to be resting, remember?” Blaine answered, knowing his answer was not going to satisfy his prying boyfriend.

“Yeah, I know, and I’m very happy that for once you’re listening to me. But I also know you’ve been texting me without a problem”

“You’re different”

“Well, I really hope so” Sam answered with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood so Blaine wouldn’t feel as if he was judging him when he only wanted to know the truth.

“No, I mean… I can make an effort for you and it’s so worth it, but… it’s hard to write in this position, you know?” Blaine answered, and Sam could see it made sense, but he could feel there was something else that his boyfriend was not saying.

“Just that?” Sam insisted, and this time he could see he had broken Blaine’s pretence.

“Ok, I don’t want to text them, happy?” Blaine finally surrendered, a frown appearing on his forehead at having been discovered.

“Why?” Sam asked, even though he had an idea about what all that could be about –but he wanted Blaine to say it himself.

“Because I’m still hurt at their comments, ok?”

“What comments?”

“The ones they kept doing when they thought I was stalking you” Blaine confessed, and by how big his frown was becoming, Sam could see he was still quite upset about it.

“They didn’t really think that!” Sam tried to appease him, even taking the time to lift his upper body from the mattress so he could hover over him to look at him and tuck some stray curls behind Blaine’s ear. “They told me so themselves when I confronted them about it”

“Well, they still joked about that!” Blaine protested, hating himself for being so resentful, though he couldn’t help it, their words and jokes had really hurt him. “They thought I couldn’t hear them most of the time, but I did! And it hurt!”

“You mean the day you hurt your ankle?”

“Not just then. There were other times. Maybe they were not serious, but they weren’t very tactful either, you know? The fact they would joke with something that it was so complicated to me really hurt me, you know”

“Why didn’t you tell me anything then?” Sam asked, in surprised, as he hadn’t aware of how much Blaine had really been struggling those weeks.

“Because it was embarrassing enough that you discovered my crush on you, I didn’t want to burden you with my hurt pride too!” Blaine explained, his voice shaking slightly with the reminder of those awful weeks.

“Oh, come here, you silly” Sam said with his most tender voice, only wanting to erase that offending frown of Blaine’s face.

“I can’t move, you will have to come” Blaine cockily reminded him, even managing to smile a little.

“It was an expression, you moron” Sam answered with a hearty laugh as he curled his arm around Blaine’s middle and carefully rested his head in the center of his chest. “Never be embarrassed about talking to me about your most inner thoughts and feelings, alright? I want to know them all”

“Alright, I’m sorry” Blaine honestly apologized as his fingers played with Sam’s hair, gratefully. “I guess it will be easier now that you’re my…”

“Boyfriend?” Sam finished with him when he noticed the other’s hesitation. “Aw, you still can’t say it, how adorable can you be?”

“Don’t laugh at me!” Blaine protested, playfully smacking the back of Sam’s head. “I had dreamt with this a thousand times, I’m still trying to get my head around the fact it’s a reality now!”

“What did I say? Adorable” Sam joked, capturing Blaine’s lips in a kiss. “And what do you say about forgiving everyone? You couldn’t see them, but they were genuinely scared and devastated when you were injured. And they were very sorry that they hurt you”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

“Even Jake and Unique?” Blaine asked, and Sam could see he was really hopeful his answer would be affirmative. “They were the ones who laughed at me the most”

“Even them, I swear” Sam assured him, gently caressing his cheek. “They love you. And they were very happy for us when I told them we are together”

“They don’t think I rubbed my gayness on you?” Blaine asked, with a hint of joking of his voice.

“What? No, of course not” Sam answered, laughing wholeheartedly at his boyfriend’s silliness.

“Ok, but the fact that it’s hard for me to write is still true” Blaine explained in all honesty.

“Do you want me to text them for you?” Sam immediately offered, always willing to do anything to help his injured sweetheart.                                     

“That would be great, honey” Blaine answered, giving him a pet name before being really aware of it.

“Honey? Hey, you’re getting the hang out of this” Sam joked as he gratefully gave Blaine’s lips another peck because apparently he couldn’t get enough of it.

“I’m a fast learner” Blaine laughed as he stole another kiss from Sam’s lips before the latter sat up to pick Blaine’s phone and write for him. “Tell them I miss them and that I hope to see them very soon”

“That’s better” Sam quickly approved as he complied. “My boyfriend has such a kind heart”

“Well, you should see my boyfriend’s one” Blaine answered with a mischievous smile.

“Oh, please, my boyfriend is better than yours” Sam joked as he finished writing and left the phone next to Blaine again.

“Oh, is he?”

“Yes. He has watched _Avatar_ with me like thousands of times”

“Really? Well, mine made a new version of _The Princess Bride_ just for me”

“Did he? Then you’re right, your boyfriend is better than mine” Sam joked, laughing wholeheartedly at Blaine’s mockingly indignant expression.

“Hey!” Blaine protested as he slapped Sam’s leg while trying hard not to laugh. “You’re mean”

“But you still love me, right?” Sam said with a pout, hovering over Blaine’s face again to ask for a forgiving kiss.

“Always” Blaine honestly answered before complying.

**********

The next day, when Sam arrived to the Andersons’ house –in which he was starting to feel like home too thanks to how the whole family had warmed up to him so amazingly well after he and Blaine became boyfriends–, he was met with a surprise.

“Hey!” Sam said as he entered Blaine’s room and found both his parents there, with Cooper following right behind him after opening the front door for him, and everyone was looking quite expectant.

“Hey, Sammy” Blaine greeted him with a tender voice.

“Hey, you’re wearing my jacket!” Sam exclaimed as he noticed what Blaine was wearing, though the fact that no one responded only intrigued him even more. “Is there something wrong?” Sam asked as he noticed everyone seemed to be waiting for something.

“Oh, it’s just that… the doctor was here today” Blaine explained.

“And what did she say? Is everything alright?” Sam asked, his heart on his throat at the possible implications that might have.

“More than alright” Blaine answered with the widest smile Sam had seen on him for days.

“He said Blaine can start sitting up” his mother finished with a fond smile towards him. “Of course the first thing he did after hearing that was asking to wear your jacket”

“I’ve been dying to wear it” Blaine explained, while trying not to blush. “The doctor also said I could start walking around”

“He said just around the house, like to the sofa”

“That’s still walking”

“And what are you doing still lying down when a whole new world has been opened in front of you?” Sam intervened, surprised Blaine was not already dancing or jumping on furniture or that kind of things he used to do.

“What do you think? I was waiting for you” Blaine explained, and Sam’s heart felt about to melt after Blaine had willingly spent more hours in bed than necessary just to share that moment with him. “After all you’ve had to put up with, moods and tears included, it was the least I could do”

“Oh, sweetie, I lo…” he started as he neared the bed, but suddenly he felt very aware of three pairs of eyes looking at them and he couldn’t bring himself to finish.

“Oh, come on!” Cooper exclaimed, exaggeratedly rolling his eyes. “Mom, Dad, cover your ears for a second so those disgusting lovebirds can say how much they love each other”

“Cooper!” Blaine admonished him.

“Blaine, Sam loves you. And Sam… Blaine loves you too. Done” Cooper quickly resolved the matter. “Can we now see if we can get my little brother on his feet?”

“Yes, please” Blaine said as he made a move to just sit up, though fortunately Sam stopped him with a hand to his chest.

“Take it easy” he tried to reason with him. “You’re bound to be quite dizzy after so many days in bed”

“We’re glad Sam is much more sensible than you are” Angelica reprimanded his son.

“Let me just help you” Sam intervened before Blaine could retort to his mother, trying to avoid an argument.

Sam very carefully put his arm under Blaine’s upper body and slowly helped him up, measuring every movement before the next to make sure his boyfriend was alright.

“Does it hurt?” Sam asked as he seemed to hear the smallest wince escape the brunet’s lips.

“Just a little” Blaine answered, managing to smile so none of the worriers looking at him would try to discourage him from trying.

“Maybe we should…” Sam was about to say, afraid it was too soon, but Cooper saw the cry for help in his brother’s eyes and rushed to help him.

“No, we shouldn’t” Cooper intervened, as he moved to Blaine’s other side and pushed his legs out of the bed so his feet would be on the floor and it would be more difficult to try and stop him. “He hurts because of the lack of movement of the previous days, and it’s going to happen today or two weeks from now even if we wait, so up we go”

Sam let himself be convinced and between him and Cooper they grabbed Blaine’s arms and got him on his feet. His knees, unsurprisingly, pretty much gave up when his whole weight rested on them, but fortunately both Sam and Cooper were ready for that and managed not to let him fall.

“You alright?” Sam worriedly asked as he felt Blaine lean heavily on him, so he put an arm around his waist to hold him better as his other hand remained grabbing his arm.

“Just a little dizzy, as you said” Blaine honestly answered, but stubborn as he was, he was already putting one foot in front of the other to walk away from the damned bed.

“I knew it was too soon” Angelica protested. “Boys, get him to bed again, he can sit up for a while there”

“No” Blaine immediately contradicted her. “You promised you’d let me go to the living room and that’s what I intend to do. Plus the doctor said I could do it, and Sam and Cooper can help me down the stairs, right?”

“Of course” Sam said, supporting as always, even if he half wished Blaine would listen to his mother and go back to bed as he seemed very unstable on his feet.

“Come on, all of you, stop spoiling him so much, he can walk a few steps” Cooper added, nodding at Blaine when the latter smiled gratefully at him.

“If he gets hurt I’m placing the blame on you, Cooper” his mother warned him, though Cooper preferred to take it with his usual humor.

“Hey, he is already hurt, don’t get me involved in this” he answered, making Sam chuckle.

“Can we please concentrate in getting Blaine to the sofa, please?” Don Anderson intervened, noticing the strain on his youngest son’s face as he tried to keep himself upright, even with Sam’s and Cooper’s help.

“Yes, let’s get you to the sofa as soon as possible” Sam immediately added, feeling guilty already about not noticing Blaine’s discomfort before, though Blaine’s immediate reassuring smile put his mind at ease.

Very carefully Cooper and Sam got their precious burden down the stairs, with Blaine helping less than he would have wanted. The doctor had warned him that the combination of his whiplash and the total immobility from the days before would surely leave him very dizzy, but he hadn’t expected to be unable to hold his own weight. He would have worried if he didn’t know that this state was only transitory, but it was only one more thing to be frustrated about.

The two taller boys reached the sofa as quickly as they could and didn’t let go of the other one until they were completely sure he was perfectly accommodated and as comfortable as he would get. Sam sat next to him while Blaine tried to regain his breath and looked worriedly at him –even more worriedly that his own mother.

“Are you alright?” Sam asked when he noticed Blaine was resting his head on the backrest of the couch with his eyes closed.

“Yes, don’t worry” Blaine answered, immediately comforted by Sam’s reassuring touch, playing with some stray curls from his forehead. “I’m just waiting for the room to stop spinning, but I’ll be alright”

“See? He’s such a big boy” Cooper intervened, trying to lighten the mood of the room as everyone –himself included– were looking a little upset at Blaine’s pain. “Who’s up for some supper?”

“We’ll take turns so we don’t leave Blaine alone now that he made all the way down here” Don announced. “Sam, you’re staying for dinner, right?”

“Yes, thank you, but… maybe we could get some trays and all eat here” Sam shyly suggested. “Like in a picnic or something. I’m sure Blaine would like to have a family dinner with us”

All the other members of the family looked at Blaine for a reaction, but the latter only had eyes for Sam. Of course Sam had always been great to him –that’s part of why he had fallen for him, after all–, and they probably had already been each other’s person for a long time, but since he had realized about his feelings for Blaine, it was like he couldn’t stop getting more and more perfect with each passing second. He was attentive, protective, funny, loving and the sweetest boyfriend that ever existed. Not the smallest detail went by that Sam didn’t notice or care about. And if Blaine had thought he loved Sam before the whole ordeal, it was nothing compared to the feelings he had for him now.

“I would love that” Blaine said, as he took the courage to cup the back of Sam’s head and bring him over for a long kiss for the first time in front of his family. Sam had made a big effort to feel comfortable and act normal around his family, so he owed him the same.

“Ok, so let’s bring dinner here” Don asked, awkwardly coughing just to have something to do after his youngest son’s display of affection with his new boyfriend. Not that he was not okay with it –Sam was a great boy and he could see how he took care of his son– but it was still awkward to see your young kid being that loving and open towards another person.

The three oldest Andersons moved to the kitchen to start getting everything ready as Blaine patted the space next to him on the sofa for his dreamy boyfriend to sit, to which the latter immediately complied. Sam didn’t hesitate for a second to put an arm around Blaine’s shoulders –man, wasn’t it great to be able to sit together?– and his heart warmed when Blaine let his head fall on Sam’s shoulder, trustingly.

“Are you ever going to stop being so amazing?” Blaine asked with true adoration on his voice.

“I really hope not, because you get so cute when you’re happy” Sam answered, and once again he was rewarded with a chuckle from his boyfriend.

“I’m going to say this and I’m not going to blush, ok?” Blaine promised, lifting his face to look at Sam with a mischievous smile.

“Ok” Sam answered, reciprocating his smile with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

“I love you” Blaine said, without a hint of joking in his voice this time. “So much”

“Hey, you did it!” Sam answered with a laugh, though his heart felt about to burst with Blaine’s honest and raw love so he took him in his arms and strongly embraced him for what it felt the first time in forever. “I love you so much too”

“Not as much as I love you, though”

“Pleeeease, I love you so much more”

They remained in each other’s arms, as if they were intending to compensate for the lack of close physical contact for the previous days in just a while, just gazing into each other’s eyes while entwining their fingers until the rest of the Andersons made their way back from the kitchen and placed a tray in each of the boy’s laps. Then they brought their own food and sat, Cooper next to his brother in the sofa and their parents in each of the armrests in front of them.

“And now eat” Don ordered them kindly. “You’ve been skipping too many meals lately and it’s about time we regain some routines in this house”

“Mmm, this is delicious” Sam said as soon as he tasted his foot. “Thank you so much for having me for dinner”

“Oh, we should thank you for staying, or I’m afraid we wouldn’t have been able to get anything into Blaine” Don joked, watching as his son happily ate his dinner without complaint just because Sam’s arm was around him.

“Don’t talk about me as if I was not here” Blaine complained good-naturedly.

“Are you feeling better now, Blaine?” Angelica intervened, relieved that her son didn’t look as pale as he had done only a couple of minutes before.

“Yes, I was just a little dizzy” he immediately reassured her with a smile.

“A little?” Sam asked with a pointed gaze, because he had been the one to support practically his whole weight as they made their way downstairs just because Blaine was completely unable to do that himself.

“Ok, a lot” Blaine admitted with an embarrassed smile. “But I’m not anymore, and I’m surrounded by the people I love the most in the world while being able to sit with them, so yeah, I’m pretty good right now”

“Oh my God, Blainey, you’re so cloying when you’re in love” Cooper intervened with an exaggerated roll of eyes, though he made sure to pat Blaine’s thigh to make sure Blaine knew he was only joking.

“He’s not, he’s adorable” Sam, predictably, jumped in his defense immediately.

“Yeah, well, you’re as cloying as he is, so…” Cooper answered, and this time it was Blaine who patted his brother’s leg, though in this case it was more like slapping, in punishment for mocking his boyfriend.

It wasn’t much later when they finished eating and, after getting all the plates to the kitchen and doing some washing up, everyone sat again in their places and decided to watch some TV together –preferably any stupid show that didn’t involve a lot of thinking but provided a good deal of laughing–. Blaine was so happy to be out of his imprisonment that he forgot about the dull pain from the previous movement or his shyness about displays of affection with his boyfriend in front of his family and ended up cuddling on Sam’s chest, his feet on the coffee table in front of him for extra comfort. And Sam, who was not so easily embarrassed, just smiled tenderly at his petite boyfriend and threw an arm around him again, holding him close to his heart and resting his own head on top of his. After all, cuddling with him was all that he had been dying to do since they got together and, after so much waiting, he couldn’t believe how nice it felt to do it, and how warm and intimate the weight of Blaine’s head on his upper chest felt.

Of course the painkillers were still doing their job, next to a full stomach and a deep contentment, and it wasn’t that much later when Blaine’s breathing became slower and the strong grip he kept around Sam’s middle lessened a bit –only a bit, though–, so the blond knew he had fallen asleep without even needing to look down.

“We should get him back to bed” Angelica said, letting Sam know he had not been the only one to notice.

“Can we just let him stay here for a while?” Sam pleaded, hoping he didn’t sound as if he was taking too many liberties with his in-laws too soon. “It’s just… we’ve been dying to be able to embrace like this, and he looks so content and comfortable after so much frustration for the last few days…”

“And are you comfortable too?” Don asked, and Sam’s heart warmed at the fact that Blaine’s father would worry about him like that.

“Very much” he honestly affirmed, eliciting a chuckle from Cooper.

“Alright, then I don’t see why we couldn’t just let him stay a bit longer” Don quickly agreed, fondly smiling at the entwined and happy couple. He had never liked that Kurt guy that much, but with Sam everything was different. He was nice, well-mannered and not opposed to spend some time with the entire family, while it was clear how much he adored and took care of his son. It hadn’t been like that with Kurt, and while he was around he had never seen a smile on his son like the one he constantly had on his face since he and Sam had become an issue –like the one he was sporting now even if he was deeply asleep.

“It’s quite late, though, and I don’t like you wandering around the streets at these hours” Angelica intervened, and Sam again felt incredibly happy, as his mother-in-law also worried about him pretty deeply. “Do you want to stay for the night, Sam?”

“Really?” Sam asked in surprise, as if he couldn’t believe his luck that he was going to be allowed to sleep with Blaine.

“In the guest room” she was quick to add, as somehow she seemed to have read his mind.

“Oh” Sam exclaimed, not being able to hide his disappointment until he realized what he had just said. “I mean, yes, thank you, you’re very kind”

“Almost, uh?” Cooper whispered jokingly after his parents turned to the TV again.

“Shut up” Sam answered, even if he couldn’t help but smirk at him.

They remained watching TV until the show finished, laughing and talking comfortably while trying not to be too loud so as not to wake the injured sleeping boy. When it finished, though, Blaine’s parents insisted they should all go to bed, so Sam gently woke him up and between him and Cooper they were able to get Blaine back to his bed. The Andersons were kind enough to give them a couple of minutes, so Sam sat at the edge of the bed and played with the curls on the top of Blaine’s head after trying to convince him, unsuccessfully, to take the jacket off to sleep. Then he explained to him that he was staying for the night but no, no matter how much Blaine insisted, he was sleeping in the guest room and not risking betraying the trust of his parents after how great they were being to him. Blaine pouted for a second, but he quickly gave up trying to convince Sam to get into his bed when everybody else was asleep as he understood and respected Sam’s reluctance. So in the end he contented with receiving a long and meaningful kiss that left them both breathless, a tender _I love you_ that was immediately reciprocated and a warm smile before Sam disappeared into his own room. Though they still texted for a while before falling asleep, not caring about how ridiculous it was considering there was only a wall separating them.

**********

The next morning, Sam hurried to Blaine’s room as soon as he was up and dressed and took great pleasure in waking him up with a slow and warm kiss that put an impossibly wide smile in Blaine’s face before he even opened his eyes. As Blaine was feeling stronger than the day before, it only took one person –Sam, obviously– to help him downstairs this time, and they didn’t wait for anybody else before they were slowly descending the stairs. Sam was very happy to see that Blaine was not feeling nearly as unstable as the day before and he only needed to lean on Sam a little after a few steps when he got tired, but held his own weight for most of the way. Sam guided him to the couch, as sitting on a chair was still out of question, and Angelica brought some breakfast as the three of them sat to eat together around the coffee table.

“I was wondering” Sam said after a few minutes of light conversation. “Would it be alright if I asked the Glee club to meet here today? Regionals are just around the corner, and we really need Blaine if we want to have a chance” Sam politely asked, making Blaine blush at Sam’s confidence in his talent.

“Well, I don’t see why not. It will do Blaine some good to receive some visits” she kindly agreed as a way of rewarding how much of a model patient his son had been in spite of his hyperactive nature.

“What do you say, B?” Sam asked, turning to the other boy as there was no way they were doing that if Blaine didn’t feel like seeing the guys yet. “Are you in?”

“I’m in” Blaine answered after a small hesitation. Sam was right, after all: the guys were sorry and dying to see him, according to the texts he kept receiving from them. It would be nice to see them and leave all that crap behind. And please, he couldn’t wait for some Glee action, he had missed that! Plus the proud smile Sam was giving him at the moment made it all the more worth it. Just to see Sam smile like that, he was capable of anything, he knew that much.

So as promised, as soon as school was over, the bell on the Anderson’s house rang and Cooper hurried to open the door, excited himself about being a witness again at the wonderful job the choir did. He ushered them in, Mr. Schuester included, and guided him to the living room, where Blaine was sitting and waiting patiently for him.

“Blaine!” Tina practically yelled as she jumped to throw her arms around her friend.

“Be careful, Tina!” Sam warned her, almost as loud. “Don’t injure him even further, please”

“Sorry” she apologized with an embarrassed smile as she let go of him.

“It’s okay, Tey Tey” Blaine assured her with a smile, as he was also very happy to see her.

One after another, every member of the Glee club waited for their turn to warmly embrace their friend, whom they had missed and worried about so much. Blaine only grew happier and more relieved after every hug, knowing he had made the right decision in forgetting about their offenses, and one look at Sam’s face told him he was thinking exactly the same.

“How are you feeling, Blaine?” Artie, always the practical one, asked once everyone had had their turn with the injured boy.

“Much, much better” Blaine answered gratefully. “I’ll probably be going back to school on Monday, in fact”

“We’ll see about that” Sam intervened, sitting next to Blaine to entwine their hands together.

“Gosh, guys, never get hurt when Sam is around, he’s next to unbearable as a caretaker” Blaine joked, looking tenderly at his boyfriend to make sure he knew he was only joking and that he was, in fact, very grateful.

“I’ve got the impression he wouldn’t be such a mother hen with anyone else” Unique intervened, and Blaine held his breath for a second, not sure if she was just mocking him again or, on the contrary, showing him her acceptance of their relationship. “Blaine, I’m sorry if we ever made you feel like we didn’t care about you”

“Yes” Jake hurried to agree. “We were very unfortunate with our joking, and we should have seen it was not the right time”

“We’re really sorry we hurt you” Unique added. “But just so you know, we know you weren’t really stalking Sam or anything like that”

“And we’re really glad you’re now together” Jake said. “You two make a great couple”

“We do, don’t we?” Blaine answered, with a happy smile that showed the two repentant youngsters they were more than forgiven.

“See? You answered exactly the same Sam did” Kitty explained with a chuckle. “You two are really made for each other”

“Please, tell us something we don’t know” Sam answered while rolling his eyes, making everyone else in the room laugh.

“Ok, guys” Mr. Schuester interrupted. “We’re so glad you’re doing better, Blaine. It was really a scary moment”

“I know” Blaine answered, nodding gratefully at his favorite teacher.

“But fortunately we can put all that behind us and focus on what’s important right now, and that is regionals!”

“More important than my brother’s health?” Cooper joked, feigning to be deeply offended –when the truth was that he was really grateful William had thought to reach him too, and not only their parents, when Blaine had had his accident.

“You know what I mean! And speaking of your brother: Blaine, what do you say about a solo? We voted, and let’s say the decision was unanimous” William announced, as everyone nodded vigorously at it.

“A solo?” Blaine asked, almost speechless as Sam grinned proudly at his side.

“It’s not because you were injured, don’t get us wrong” Ryder explained, clearly moved at Blaine’s emotion. “We just think you deserve it more than anyone”

“Thank you, guys, that’s… really great. You’re amazing” Blaine said, his voice shaking with emotion to the point Sam felt obliged to put his arm around his shoulder –ok, it might have only been an excuse, but whatever.

“I knew you could do it, little bro” Cooper interrupted, winking at him until everybody else turned to him. “Sorry, I won’t interrupt again”

“Let’s think about which songs we are going to sing, then” William suggested so everybody quickly got into action to decide the best way to get themselves a pass for Nationals, while Blaine smiled and whispered _Thank you_ in Sam’s ear, grateful to the blond for convincing him about giving the guys a second chance, to which Sam reciprocated with another smile, a kiss to the cheek and a whispered _I love you_ to his ear that made him, not surprisingly, blush.

**********

A few more days passed and Blaine started moving around the house on his own accord, not feeling dizzy anymore and without any pain aside from his neck –his whiplash was going to need some rehabilitation after all, he had already been warned about that–. He was also able to sit on a chair and, even though he still needed to be careful and he couldn’t do brusque movements, he was almost back to normal life by then.

Except that normal life was now a wonderful life. Sam visited him every day. Well, maybe it shouldn’t be called just visiting when he spent all his free time next to him, right? He didn’t care if they had to spend the whole day indoors, he never moved from his side unless he was forced to –like to go home to sleep or to school–. On Sunday, though, they decided Blaine was well enough for a little escapade –he was returning to school the day after anyway, even with the opposition of his mother and even Sam–, so they took a walk around the neighborhood, holding hands every minute of it, and even stopped on an ice-cream parlor because Blaine insisted on buying his boyfriend an ice-cream. All in all, everything was looking pretty bright for them.

On Monday morning Sam came to get Blaine to take him to school –as it had been decided that Sam should be the driver until Blaine was feeling 100% well–. Blaine was already waiting for Sam outside the door of his house, and his face brightened like the Sun as Sam got off the car and walked to him.

“Hey, Sammy” he said, immediately putting his arms around Sam’s shoulders to bring him down for a kiss, more and more comfortable every time about doing the first move in their loving intercourses.

“Where’s your collar?” Sam asked as soon as the kiss broke, looking judgingly at his boyfriend who apparently had decided to stop using his collar already.

“Hey, I’m glad to see you too” Blaine sarcastically answered as he tried to capture Sam’s lips again, though the latter wouldn’t let him yet.

“I am glad to see you, of course, though I would like to see your collar too” Sam explained, and Blaine could tell he was waiting for an explanation.

“Should I be jealous that you want to see my collar more than me?” Blaine joked, though Sam was not having any of that –man, he was strict!

“I’m not joking, B, you need your collar if I’m letting you go back to school today” Sam warned him, though the effect was not the expected one when Blaine only raised his eyebrows in amusement at that.

“Oh, you’re letting me?” he asked.

“You know what I mean” Sam tried to defend himself as he extricated from Blaine’s embrace and gently pushed Blaine towards the house. “Now come on, go and get it and we’ll get going”

“I’m not putting it back on, you’ve got no idea how uncomfortable that thing is” Blaine answered, not so amused anymore because there was no way he was going to obey Sam on that.

“I know, but it’s your first day out after so many days of rest. We need to be careful” Sam explained with a sigh, making it sound as if he was being really patient about Blaine’s attitude.

“Last time I checked it was _my_ neck, and the doctor said I didn’t have to wear it anymore if it didn’t hurt. Which doesn’t, so that’s final” Blaine put an end to the conversation, starting to walk towards the car.

“Oh, and I don’t get a say in this?” Sam replied, more than a little offended, as he followed Blaine.

“Yes, of course you have a say, Sam” Blaine answered, turning to him, because the last thing he wanted was to offend him or to argue with him. “You will always have a say in anything related to me. But I’m alright, I hate that collar and I don’t need it anymore, so why should I keep wearing it?”

“And what if I don’t agree?” Sam asked, feigning to be more upset than he really was by pouting at his boyfriend, immediately eliciting a fond chuckle out of him.

“Then I’ll have to convince you. What if I do this?” Blaine said just before encircling Sam’s neck again with his arms, raising on his tiptoes just to kiss him in a better angle, this time being able to move his neck enough to deepen the kiss more than they had ever before. “I wouldn’t be able to move my head for that if I was wearing a collar”

“I know but…” Sam still tried to protest, more than a little breathless after Blaine’s passionate kissing, but it was clear he was going to let himself be convinced.

“And what if I do that?” Blaine said as his lips started tracing a path from Sam’s ear down to his collarbone, where they stopped to suck and lick at the sensitive skin there.

“That’s a good point” Sam had to admit as he let his head fall backwards to give Blaine’s lips better access towards his Adam’s apple. “But let me try something first”

For the first time since they got together, Sam was able to cup Blaine’s neck with his hands as his lips captured those of his boyfriend in a searing kiss, feeling more intimate and exciting that any kiss they had shared before.

“Oh, I really like that. But what if…?” he didn’t even bother to finish as he started kissing the soft skin on Blaine’s neck himself, slowly making his way around until he got a lovely moan out of him. “That’s nice”

“I told you” Blaine answered as he tried to regain his breath, because he knew he should put an end to it before they got too carried away, if he wanted to make it to school in time. “Come on, let’s get going. If we get early enough, we can explore more deeply what movements my neck can do in the empty choir room”

“What are we waiting for, then? Let’s go!” Sam exclaimed as he took Blaine’s hand and pulled him a tat too roughly towards the car.

“Hey, relax, I still need to be careful” Blaine reprimanded him, laughing out loud when Sam turned to him with a terrified gaze.

“I’m so sorry!” he immediately apologized, brushing his hands all along Blaine’s upper body to make sure he hadn’t hurt him.

“Just kidding, you silly” Blaine reassured him with another laugh, to which Sam pretended to be outraged until he couldn’t help it anymore and laughed along with him.

“If I didn’t love you so much…” Sam said, taking Blaine in a gentle embrace as he kissed his forehead.

“I know, I’m the luckiest guy in the world” Blaine answered without a hint of joking in his voice.

**********

When they arrived at school, they were disappointed to see it was not as empty as they had expected –as they had spent longer than planned just making out in the car before getting inside–. And everybody wanted to see and ask Blaine how he was, so the chance for a visit to the empty choir room was completely out of question.

As they made their way down the hallways on McKinley, thanking some of the students there for their welcoming words to Blaine, the brunet complained about being cold and, before Sam could say anything, Blaine took Sam’s football jacket out of his bag and put it on. And Sam had to smile as Blaine took his hand in his and walked proudly at his side with the name _Evans_ on the back of his jacket. Just as he had always dreamt.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed all the sugar, because my next story is not going to be fluffy at all! ;)


End file.
